The Butterfly Effect
by StarryEyedButterfly
Summary: When Marco Diaz comes to realization about his feelings for Star, his thoughts consume him. He can't seem to get the princess off of his mind, and as a result, he sets out to find himself without his best friend. However, Star Butterfly does some soul-searching of her own, and it may bring the two closer than ever before. Can Star save Marco before it's too late?
1. Prologue Realization

_"Perhaps the butterfly is proof that you can go through a great deal of darkness and turn into something beautiful."_

His room was silent. The only thing that kept him somewhat sane was the steady ticking of his clock on the wall.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Marco Diaz brought his face to his pillow and groaned loudly into it. He hated himself. He hated himself so much. Those images kept flashing in his mind, plaguing his thoughts. The couples on the ash-colored beach. The giggling, the handholding, all while he had nobody to call his own. His girlfriend, Jackie Lynn Thomas, had broken up with him not long before, but he got over it quickly, after he realized that she wasn't what he wanted. Not at all.

Star Butterfly was what he wanted.

Star Butterfly. Star Butterfly. He repeated her name over and over in his mind, while he begun to form a mental image. Her adorable heart-stamped cheeks. Her beautiful, deep blue eyes. Her long golden mane that hung just below the back of her knees. Her laugh, her smile. He was deeply in love with his best friend, and he didn't even realize it until now.

Marco felt queasy to his stomach the more it festered in his mind. How could he not have known? All of the signs were right there in front of him, like a big red sign pointing him in the right direction. He loved her. He had alway loved her. Why did it take him so long to take a hint? He mentally slapped himself. He had his chance, but it was gone, all gone in seven, simple words:

 _"I do have a crush on you."_

 _"I didn't want to admit it because I know you don't feel the same way…"_

But he did. He felt the same way so much. He was in denial. He had all the chances in the world, he had her, almost, but the chance slipped from his grasp in a passionate kiss from her demon boyfriend. The same Tom Lucitor that made her fume at his presence. That Tom Lucitor. He didn't quite understand the appeal.

It was imprinted in his mind, the scene was branded in his memory. Moments of realization all around him, and the biggest sign of realization of all, right in front of him. The jealousy that he felt, the sadness that he lived was all there. All right there, painted in red.

"Not again," Marco whispered as he tried to shoo the tears away, but they wouldn't go. They rolled down his cheeks; one after another until his vision was blurry. Why was he so blind to the love that he felt for Star Butterfly? Why did he have to realize it so late, on his birthday of all days? Why was he so hung up on it? She didn't give a hoot about his birthday. She was too busy making out with Tom. It was like she had forgotten all about the times that they spent together and the adventures that they had embarked on. Who was Marco Diaz? The annoying earth turd who had happened to fall back into her life uninvited. The earth turd that nobody took seriously. The earth turd who got left at the pier all alone. The earth turd who couldn't do anything right. That's who he was.

Marco let out a sob as he tried to wipe his tears with the sleeve of his hoodie. Star had moved on, and he should try to too. It was so hard, though. The realization came far too late, and he couldn't get over it. He was spending his birthday mourning over the supposed loss of his best friend.

Then, it hit him.

His talk with Tad. He had dimensional scissors. He could go anywhere he wanted in the universe, and he was choosing to stay bound to his so-called friend who didn't care about him anymore. She went as far as to make him a "Squire" as an excuse to order him around? Why was he succumbing to it? Was he holding on to some false hope that Star's feelings would emerge once again?

The boy felt around in his pocket for the cold metal, touching it with his fingers. Sixteen long years of intense training. He slowly took them out of his pocket, eying his reflection in the blades. He could have sworn he saw Star's face in them, too, but he didn't think much of it. He had to get Star out of his mind before it consumed him.

With a swift movement, Marco opened a portal within his room, and stared into it with a triumphant smile.

"I'm coming, Hekapoo," he whispered as he jumped into it, shutting it behind him.

Who needs Star when you're a hot, thirty year-old hunk in your native environment? Not Marco… at least...not now.


	2. Cornshakes and Lament

The boy walked into the bar with a slight spring in his step. It was so good to be back. Beings of all dimensions came to this place however, he was looking for someone in particular. A fiery woman of some sorts.

"Hey there muscles, what brings you back here," a voice said, which brought him back to his senses. He looked up to see the flame lady sitting at the counter with a drink in her hand. She gave the boy a small smile as he walked over and grabbed a seat next to her.

"Hey Hekapoo. I just thought I could help you round up some more portals if you didn't mind," Marco replied, rubbing his coffee-colored hair. Star was welling up in his mind again, and he felt his cheeks warm up.

"Well, there hasn't been much activity within the multiverse ever since we caught Star, so I'm not sure we need much help now," the succubus replied as she took a swig of her glass. Marco's eyes widened at the mention of her name. He was really hung up on her and he needed this.

Frantic, the boy opened his mouth to speak, but Hekapoo cut him off to speak again. "Aren't you Star's squire? You're supposed to be looking after her, not rounding up portals with me. Is something bothering you?"

Marco flinched. Looking after Star? She could look after herself. And why should he be put through such torture? She had moved on from him, and had completely disregarded him. She found someone else to give her joy. She didn't need him any longer.

"Marco? Anyone home in there?" A pale hand waved in front of his face, snapping him back to reality. The boy blinked and let out a soft exhale, before looking up at Hekapoo to reply.

"Uh, yeah Hekapoo. It's just... Star doesn't really have time to hang out with me anymore."

"What do you mean, muscles?"

Marco blew his bangs out of his eyes and propped his head up. "She's too busy trying to be a better princess...and hanging out with her new 'boyfriend'. She doesn't have time for me anymore."

Hekapoo's golden eyes widened slightly. After Song Day, she was certain that Star and Marco were a couple, and hearing this news came of a surprise to her. "Oh? I'm sorry. But aren't the both of you best friends? I'm sure she would make time for you at least sometime."

"I thought so too... But I guess her boyfriend is her number one priority now," the boy sighed. There was an awkward pause between them before Hekapoo broke the silence once more.

"Well... I guess we could look for more portals to round up... If that's okay with you."

Marco perked up, smiling at her. This was the one thing that truly got Star off of his mind, and he needed this before she completely dragged him under. "Really?"

"Yeah, I mean if it would take your mind off of the princess," Hekapoo said, slapping the back of his head and burning a large patch of his hair right off. Marco let out a slight yelp from the searing heat.

"Hey! You're going to pay for that!"

"Not sorry," Hekapoo said, and with a quick motion, she opened a swirling vortex, jumping inside with the boy behind her.

* * *

It was crisp Mewman night. The three moons hung low in the sky, casting a glimmering glow on the two teens. It was nearly midnight, and they had just got back from a late night date for corn shakes. Ever since they started dating, they haven't spent much time apart, and this made the blonde princess fairly happy. Although, in the back of her mind, she always had felt that something was missing. She just couldn't pinpoint what.

"Thanks for the amazing night," Star said as she smiled up at the demon. She clutched her star-shaped bag close to her side as she looked at him. His eyelids lowered as he gave a smirk in response to the wide smile painted on her face.

"No problem, Starship," Tom the demon replied. His hand went down to her free hand, and he pulled it up to his face, placing a gentle kiss on it, which caused a blush to appear on the blonde's face.

"Ahh, Tom... stahp," she giggled. The demon planted her hand with a few more kisses despite her playful protest.

"I can't stop. You're just so addicting..." He grabbed her other hand and pulled them up, his face turning seductive. He then leaned in, his lips puckered. Star did the same, giggling slightly as she gently blew into his mouth, catching him off guard. She then wrapped her arms around him and pecked his cheek.

"Ahh, Starship. You got me again," Tom chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her torso, lifting her off of her feet to Star's surprise. "It's my turn to get you." He placed his lips on her neck and blew raspberries on it, causing fits of laughter and guffaws to escape her lips.

"Tom...haha! Please... stahp! I'm sorry, I'm sorry." a flustered Star begged. Her cheeks were as red as ripe tomatoes, and tears were running down them from laughing so hard. He gently placed her down onto her feet to allow her to catch her breath.

"I'm totally going to get you for that," Star huffed as she gently pushed his shoulder. The demon chuckled again and brought his arm up for a split second.

"Oh, yeah? How about you get me now, hm, Starship?" He batted his eyes and brought a finger under her chin, causing the girl's eyes to widen and her cheeks to turn red once again, and she quickly batted his hand away. Tom pouted, and his ears drooped slightly.

"Uhh... Look, Tom... it's nearly midnight, and I have some princess stuff to do. I promise, we can hang out tomorrow," she explained, rubbing the back of her hair.

Tom grumbled. She was always busy doing 'princess stuff', and it slightly annoyed him. It was almost like she was coming up with excuses to not hang out with him. Besides, she was still young, and wasn't she always the one who lived by the motto to live her life to the fullest? Why was she so hung up on her 'princess stuff' now? "Ugh, fine Star... if that's what makes you happy."

Star could sense the poison in his voice, and she looked down at her boots, the back up at the slightly-ticked-off demon. "Come on Tom, I'm going to be queen soon. This is important. Look... I uh... I wanna hang out, too..., but being queen comes first. You understand, right?"

"Yeah, sure Star..."

She leaned in, grabbing his face with her hand and pecked him on the cheek, making a 'muah' sound in the process. "Okay, see you tomorrow," she cooed in a sultry voice.

Tom blushed and grabbed the spot where she had kissed him, and brought out his arms. Fire appeared beneath his feet and in nearly an instant, he was nowhere to be found.

Star smiled as she shut the door and placed her back towards it, grabbing her chest. He was more pushy than usual.

However, Star lied. 'Princess stuff' wasn't on her agenda at all. A certain hoodie-wearing boy was at the top of her list.

Marco had been gone for nearly two days, and this had worried Star. As her noble squire, this was unacceptable, and at first she was angered by it, but this had turned into pure worry. What if he was hurt, or worse? She waited diligently for him to return, but he never did.

Star made her way up the steps, the only sounds that could be heard were the tapping of her dino-boots against the polished marble floor. Her parents were heavy sleepers, and she was sure that they didn't even hear her come in.

Down the hallway she went. The faces of Mewni's past kings were seemingly watching her, but she was used to that creepy vibe right now. The only thing on her mind was Marco, and his safety.

Pretty soon, she stopped in front of the cubby hole that was Marco's room and opened the door, making her way inside. Her blue eyes scanned the room, but no side of the latino in sight. He was gone still, and this had officially marked the third day of his absence.

Star felt a pit form in her stomach, and a look of worry was on her face. Marco had failed her as a squire, but she didn't care. All she wanted was for him to come back. He would never leave for this long, what was keeping him away? Was something bothering him? Star pondered this as her eyes browsed the modest room once again.

The blonde walked over and sat on the edge of his bed, sighing softly. "Oh, Marco...where are you," she whispered, secretly hoping for an answer, but one didn't come.

The bright idea to leave nachos for him popped into her mind, and she got up from her spot on the bed, and raced to the kitchen to get to work.


	3. Noble Squire

With careful precision, the young princess sat the bowl of nachos on the floor, and sat down in front of them, waiting for her best friend's return. She was sure they would lure him back. Who doesn't love Marco's Super Awesome Nachos? Pretty sure Marco himself was a big fan of his cooking.

Star Butterfly let out a sigh, her bangs moving slightly. She couldn't fathom why Marco would leave so long, and why he couldn't even say goodbye. She thought they were best friends. Best friends tell each other what's going on in their lives, and ever since Marco came to stay with her on Mewni, he hasn't been acting the same. Was she too harsh to appoint him as a squire? Was it too much of her to expect him to tend to her every need? After all, she did it so she could make time in her busy schedule to do silly things like they used to together. Maybe he didn't see it that way.

She let out a disgruntled groan. Why did she care so much? She had bigger, more important things to worry about. She had Tom, that she felt like she had been neglecting. She loved him, or at least she thought she did. She didn't know what to think or feel anymore. Her mind was clogged with second thoughts. But, Marco was important to her. So, so important.

Minutes passed, which soon turned to hours, and Star couldn't keep herself awake any longer. Her eyes began to shut, until she was fast asleep. She subconsciously hoped that Marco would be there. Back in her presence.

* * *

The ship was fast approaching the swirling vortex of a portal in the middle of the ocean. It's bunny passengers were freaking out, frantically screaming and calling for help. The ship was filling with water, and pretty soon it would go the way of the Titanic.

Suddenly, a rope appeared, and lassoed the bunny pirates, pulling them towards the back of the ship at the end of this rope was Marco Diaz, who was working with Hekapoo to close rouge portals once again.

"I can't... hold on... much... longer..." Marco moaned, as his muscles were beginning to become shaky. With one strong pull, he pulled the bunny pirates to safety, as Hekapoo swooped in to the bow of the ship. She used her own dimensional knife and shut the portal. The oceans of the bunny pirate dimension were calm once again.

The ship stopped pulling downwards, which caused Marco to fall back. The bunny pirates looked at him for a split second, then ran towards him and covered him with hugs.

"This young man is now an honorary pirate! Please, mateys, treat him well," the Captain Bunny said, thrusting his sword in the air.

The boy giggled as the bunnies' soft fur tickled his face. He didn't realize how much he liked cute things, like laser puppies... that Star Butterfly made. Oh gosh, it was happening again. Star was infecting his mind.

A hand appeared in front of his face, and it took him a minute to realize what it was trying to do. His eyes wandered into Hekapoo's red and yellow eyes, who were staring right back at him. He grabbed her hand and she hoisted him from the pile of bunnies. She was surprisingly strong.

"You were amazing back there," Hekapoo said as Marco began to dust himself off, "We make a pretty good team."

The boy's eyes widened at that last declaration. A pretty good team... Star was slowly creeping her way back into Marco's deepest thoughts.

His mind flashed images of when they fought the notorious lint monster. How they were so in sync, and how they knew exactly what to do to defeat it.

His mind then flashed all the way to their first day knowing each other. The days when Ludo was after Star's wand, and how they defeated his army of monsters, just Marco and his best friend Star... who were a pretty good team.

It brought tears to his eyes, which he quickly wiped away. He didn't know why he was crying about it, but it made him tear up. He had known Star for a year, as she just turned fifteen a week or so ago. He cared so much for her, and he even threw her a birthday party when she forgotten all about his. But these days, he felt as she didn't care about him as much as she used to. He was nothing more than her squire now.

Wait a minute, he was still her squire. He had been gone for two days straight, closing portals with Hekapoo. How would Star feel to know that her supposedly "loyal" and "trusty" squire had gone missing, tending to the needs of Hekapoo when he promised to her he wouldn't do it again?

Marco scoffed to himself. Star only made him a squire as an excuse to treat him like dirt. He was practically slave-bound to the princess, forced to watch her as she move on from him... far, far away from him. Right?

"Marco, are you okay?" The demoness said, snapping him out of his dilemma. He turned to face her, and she was wearing a concerned look. "You've been doing that a lot."

Marco rubbed his eyes with his hands. He still had Star on the brain, and he merely did this to get over her. But there was more and more evidence apparent to prove that this simply wasn't working for him.

"Yeah, Hekapoo, I'm fine... it's just..." Marco began

Hekapoo wasn't convinced. "... Star?"

Marco waved his hand in the air and gave a forced laugh. "Pshhh... Wha? Why would you... why would it be her...?"

The demon crossed her arms, and raised an eyebrow at the boy. "I've known you for sixteen years, muscles."

The Latino looked over, then lowered his head, sighing softly. "You're right... and yeah, it's Star..."

Hekapoo chuckled. "Still hung up on the princess, huh?"

"... Yeah," he began, "It's just... I'm supposed to be her squire, and here I am with you. Shouldn't I be back with her, making sure she's alright?"

"Well, you're the one who said she doesn't have time for you anymore."

Marco sighed. "Well... like you said, maybe she'll make time for me. She's been busy trying to be a better princess."

"...And hanging out with her new boyfriend," Hekapoo said as she propped her head up with her hand, "What if you go back and she's sucking face with him?"

The mental image of that sent shivers up his spine, which then sparked into rage, but he quickly shook it off with a groan as he buried his head into his hands.

He felt a hand lightly touch his shoulder, and Hekapoo's voice in his right ear. "I'm just messing with ya, muscles. Look, if you wanna go check on the princess, go right ahead. I'll be here if you decide you wanna blow off some steam. Koppisch?"

Marco looked over, smiling softly. "Thanks, Hekapoo."

"No prob. You go ahead, I'll help the captain clean up."

The boy gave a gentle nod, and reached into his pocket, pulling out his scissors. With his back turned, he looked over his shoulder at Hekapoo smiling back at him before he sliced the air and stepped through.

* * *

Marco was back in his room as the portal shut behind him. His eyes scanned his surroundings. Everything was in place, except his sheets were a little messy. Although, they would only take a second to fix.

His nose caught a savory aroma. One that smelled hot of jalapeños and cheese sauce. He knew that scent anywhere. Why would there be a nacho smell? He hasn't been here to make them.

Marco stepped forward, and his foot collided with something hard on the floor, which caused him to look down. A plate of his half-eaten Super Awesome Nachos was on the ground, next to a slumbering Star Butterfly, who's face and heart-stamped cheeks were dirty with cheese sauce. She was in her bunny onsie.

He couldn't help but smile. She was so... cute. He didn't care if it seemed like he was hung up on his best friend. She was adorable and he was no longer afraid to admit it. "Aww," he whispered as he knelt down to her level. It warmed his heart that she remembered the nacho recipe, and went as far as to make them. It was even more surprising that they turned out seemingly perfect. Star was not a good cook to put it lightly.

Marco reached over and grabbed a nacho, popping it into his mouth. It was pretty good, apart from the strong sugary flavor. Classic Star, overloading her food with absurd amounts of sugar. He could feel the sugar rush course through his veins. He smiled and scooped of the plate of half-eaten nachos and the set it on his night stand, then he walked over to the sleepy princess. He couldn't leave her here on the floor, and he assumed a hard wood floor wasn't comfortable for her. Then again, it was Star, but still.

With one heave, he scooped the princess up into his arms bridal style, which caused her to writhe a bit in her sleep. She wasn't too heavy, but she was certainly heavier than she looked. He grunted as he hoisted her up and carried her off to her bedroom.

As he carried her, he felt a dainty hand touch his cheek, which caused him to blush madly. He looked down at the princess who was grinning with her eyes closed. "Thanks, Tom..."

He felt his heart jerk out of his chest. "Uhh-" he cleared his throat and lowered his voice before she caught on. "No problem, Starship!"

Marco lowered the princess into her bed hastily, pulling the covers over her small form, which prompted a comfortable sigh to come from her lips as she snuggled her head into her pillow while her trusty squire tucked her in.

After making sure she was comfortably tucked in, Marco walked towards the door. He gave a final look back at the sleeping Star Butterfly. "Goodnight, Star."

Before he could shut the door, he heard a familiar voice reply back to him coming from the room. "...Marco?"

Marco felt his heart fly out of his chest and smack the wall in front of him, and with that he firmly slammed the door shut, praying that she didn't see him.


	4. A Friendly Talk

Marco put his hands on his knees, trying to frantically catch his breath. It was like he ran for his life back there. Star could've seen him, and he didn't want that to happen. He's been on the run for two days now, and how would she react to have him just come back into her life? She probably wouldn't be so thrilled, he thought. She wasn't too thrilled when he randomly climbed through her window when he came back to Mewni.

That sad feeling washed over him again. He had nowhere to go. His family and friends didn't take him seriously, and Jackie... she was probably upset still about their breakup and didn't want to see him anymore. All he did when he went back to Earth was talk about Mewni and think about Star, Star, Star...

There was H-poo. He could go to her dimension to live out the rest of his days. The demoness would probably be thrilled to have him there 24/7, perhaps she would make him immortal. He was already 30 there. A bit longer and he would be on the verge of dying from old age.

But his heart wanted Star... after thinking about it for a bit, the love he felt for Hekapoo wasn't genuine. He only enjoyed the thrill rides that she took him on, and riding his dragon bike Nachos. Marco felt like crap that he only enjoyed being around Hekapoo when he was thrill-seeking.

And Star... he loved being around her all the time. She just emitted happiness and positivity everywhere she went, and god, did he love it, and her. He wanted to be hers and make her happy throughout the rest of her life. He knew it was a long shot though, which caused his heart to sink once again. His heart ached; he was on a roller coaster ride of emotions.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he quickly pulled it out and swiped the screen. It was a text from one of his good friends.

 **Unread Messages:**

 _Kelly: Hey Marco... I just thought you could come over for a bit. I'm a little lonely._

Kelly. She had been a big help with his dilemma with Star. He smiled as his thumbs twiddled on the keyboard.

 _Sure Kelly, I'll be right there. :)_

Sent. He stuffed his phone back in his pants pocket and pulled out his scissors as a shadow creeped along the wall behind him. He began to sweat, it had to be Star.

He quickly sliced open a portal and jumped inside as the shadow got closer and closer, but it was a second too late, Marco had already left.

"Marco?..." Star said as she rubbed her eye with a hand, using her wand as a flashlight with the other.

"Oh... guess I was hallucinating..."

* * *

It was high noon in the butterfly kingdom, and the sun was high in the sky, lighting everything that it touched.

Star and Tom were at the ice cream parlor trying out the new flavors. They had just come out with 4 new flavors: Corn Cream, Cream Corn, Corn Bread, and Simply Corn. Yes, that was it's name.

Star wasn't too thrilled however. She was still hung up on last night. She could have sworn she saw Marco in her room, but she didn't get a good glimpse of him to be sure. And Tom... she thought she told him to go home. That was creepy how he hung around long enough to tuck her into bed. Then again, a lot of stuff that Tom did was plain weird.

"Here you go, babe," Tom said as he handed her the fourth flavor, in which Star took tiredly. The demon licked his and sad next to her.

Star yawned as she watched her demon boyfriend blow on the ice cream with his scorching hot breath, turning it to nothing more than a liquid. He then slurped it like it was a milkshake. He was so weird, but cute to her. She licked her ice cream a few times before interrupting.

"Uhm, Tom?"

"Yes, Starship," Tom replied, taking a bite of the waffle cone.

"Were you... watching me sleep? I mean, you were the one that carried me to bed, right?"

Tom raised an eyebrow, then gave a slight chuckle. "Star, I may be a demon, but that's plain creepy. I would never do that. I'd kiss you though~"

The demon boy puckered his lips to kiss the princess, but she put her hand up, causing his lips to collide with her palm. She then took another slurp of her ice cream.

"Tom, I'm serious. You creeped me out last night! I mean it was sweet and all... but you can't watch me sleep!"

The demon was growing agitated. "Star, I just said it wasn't me! I went home last night to feed my pink bunny."

Star shut her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "Ugh, fine... Sorry, Tom..."

"Don't sweat it, you know I love you," he commented, his mouth full of waffle cone. He was getting better at controlling his demons, Star thought to herself. A year or so ago, he would have burned down the ice cream trunk.

"...Tom?"

"Yeah babe?"

Star sighed softly. "I'm worried about Marco. This is his third day missing."

"That's pretty weird, Starship. You count the days he's been missing?"

"Well, yeah," The blonde began, a little ticked off at his remark, "We're best friends. He's my squire? I thought I explained this to you."

Tom chuckled as he took a sip of his drink. "I get that. I'm sure the earth turd is fine. His mommy and daddy probably called him back to earth or something. I mean, he did come back uninvited."

"That's not the point. The point is that he could be hurt and we know nothing about it!"

"Well, you're right... but you're the one who wanted him gone, Star. Remember how you vented to me that you hoped he wouldn't come back? How you simply wanted him gone out of your life?"

"I..." Star was lost for words. She did do that, and she felt horrible for admitting it. However, that didn't mean she didn't care. She would always care for Marco. He did take her in and do so much for her over the past year. She would never stop being friends with him... right?

Tom smirked, tickling under her chin with a finger as he pecked her on the lips. "You're so cute when you're mad. Look, I know how to get your mind off of it. There's a new wicked amusement park opening up tomorrow in the Underworld. Huh? How about I take you to it?"

"That sounds... great!" Star forced a smile as Tom rubbed her hands and kissed both of them. He then stood up.

"Awesome, I'll catch ya later alright?"

"Yeah, Tom," Star replied with a half smile. The demon waved goodbye as he flew up into the air with fire coming out of his feet. Pretty soon he was gone, leaving the princess alone with her thoughts.

Star buried her head into her arms, groaning to herself. Why couldn't she get Marco out of her mind? She tried so hard to get him out, but he was still there, and didn't plan on leaving any time soon.

* * *

"Is this the right address," Marco asked himself as he approached the small but modest hut that looked similar to Kelly's hair. The boy walked to the side of the hut and peered inside. There was no sign of the green-haired girl anywhere.

"Uh... Kelly?" Marco said, raising his voice, "I'm here! Are you..."

"Hey Marco!"

The Latino boy jumped, turning around as he clutched his chest. He could have nearly had a heart attack. "Goodness Kelly, you scared me!"

Kelly giggled, gesturing Marco to the inside of her house, in which he followed. "Sorry Marco! Here, come inside!"

The boy's eyes wondered around. Like Kelly's hair, it was so much bigger inside then it looked from the outside. The green-haired girl snorted as she at her kitchen table, holding a tea kettle. Marco was too busy looking around to notice.

"Heh, you like it Marco? I bought it after Tad moved out. Unfortunately, your talk with him didn't work. He still hung around, so I had to file a restraining order."

"Ugh... well, I'm glad you finally got him out of your hair," Marco said, rubbing his hair nervously, "literally."

Kelly poured a bit of tea into a tea cup, then slid it over to him, giggling slightly at Marco's pun. He didn't seem too well, and she could sense it as she watched him continuously zip and unzip his hoodie like he did when he was upset about something.

"Oh, Marco. What's bothering you?"

Marco sighed as he grabbed his tea, looking at his reflection in it's steamy surface. "Nothing..."

"I know that face. What is it?" She looked up at him and smiled reassuringly, "You helped me, so I should help you, right Marco?"

He didn't reply, which in turned caused Kelly to think for a moment. She thought back to Star's Stump Day celebration, and how angry Marco was at Star's new boyfriend. Then, it all fell together.

"You're upset about Star, huh?"

"What? No... of course not..."

"Marco, I know you. It's Star, now, tell me what she did now..."

Marco pursed his lips. "Fine, Kelly... I trust you. You want the whole story?"

"If you have the time, yes..."

And with that, Marco began from the end of his ninth grade school year where he had that party, and things between him and Star became awkward. How she admitted his crush and left for Mewni, and how sad he was over it. He then fast forwarded to Toffee's defeat, and how he was prompted to go back to earth. However, things at home were never the same. He yearned for Mewni, and Star, and that costed him his relationship with Jackie Lynn Thomas, who could sense this, and was made sure when he brought his cape on their date, which turned out to be a meat blanket. Now, he was avoiding her for days straight, and he was scared to discuss what he felt about her.

"... And then when I came back to Mewni, it was like she was a totally different person. She didn't want me around anymore. She even tried to shove me into the laundry room, which is at the very bottom of the castle... she then made me her squire..."

"Do princesses even have squires," Kelly interjected.

..."but it's more like a glorified servant... I have to follow her every order. It's not that I mind... I mean we're still friends."

Kelly sighed, touching his shoulder. "Oh, Marco. That's not what friends do. Friends don't order friends around, and when she's dating Tom? It's wrong to expect you to be around, especially when the only thing you're doing is making yourself miserable."

"You think so?... Star said she did it so we'd have a chance to hang out while she focuses on her princess duties and her new boyfriend,"  
Marco remarked.

"Hmm, I see it as her trying to make you feel better while she bosses you around. You should really talk to her about this, you're a wreck."

Marco pondered her comments for a moment. Would Star... really do that to him? He didn't want to believe it, but it was for sure becoming more apparent to him. All she wanted him there for was so that she could boss him around while he remained miserable, and he was falling for it?

"I guess you're... right Kelly... I should stop avoiding her and tell her how I really feel."

"That's the spirit," Kelly exclaimed, jumping up from her seat. She was Star's friend and all, but she hated how she was treating Marco. It made her angry, since to her, Marco was a good guy who didn't deserve it.

Marco got up from his seat and gave a smile to the green-haired girl. "Thank you so much Kelly, you're a big help."

He walked over and gave her a tight hug, in which she happily returned.

"No problem, Marco. I hope you feel better soon."

Marco then knew what he had to do. He was going to tell Star exactly how he felt.


	5. Cleaved Apart

Star's wand twinkled as she tried on outfit after outfit for her date with Tom later. Ever since they started dating, they've been going on dates constantly, but never to the Underworld. The last time they were a thing, Tom never really never let her out of her sight, or his home. She assumed the open Underworld was dangerous, with demons and lost souls floating about. This would be a new experience for her, and she had to dress accordingly.

"Too cutesy, I need something more rebellious," Star said to herself as she looked at her backside in the mirror. Her signature mint green dress wasn't going to cut it. Star waved her wand again and again, cycling through outfits. Her closet wasn't filled with anything that was really...edgy. Most of her stuff was vivid and full of unique colors. She wanted to impress Tom, to show him that she was down for anything.

"No...nah...eh...nah...nah... Aha!"

Her eyes caught outfit in particular. It was nearly perfect! It was her dress when her and Marco snuck to St. O's to save Pony Head. A black corset top, complete with suspenders that lead down to her poofy grey skirt. It also had fishnet glove-like things on her arms, gray, faded stockings, spiked black combat boots, and of course, the bull horns that looked similar to Tom's. Star's favorite part was the choker. She wasn't a fan of stuff around her neck, apart from her spider necklace, but it just screamed that she was nobody's perfect little princess anymore.

"It's... perfect! Say goodbye to the old Star Butterfly, Tommy boy," She said in a smooth voice as she adjusted the eyepatch over her eye. She then did a 360 degree turn, checking out her body in the mirror, hoping that Tom would approve. Then again, he did like everything about her, apart from her hardheadedness, which he was willing to work around.

Star stopped when she reached her front again, bringing a hand up to graze over her heart cheek emblems. They completely ruined her outfit. They contrasted with the gothic look that she was trying to pull off and gave this innocent vibe that she didn't want. She had to cover them somehow.

"Nothing a few stickers can't hide," she said as she walked over to her dresser and began rummaging through it. Hairbrushes, combs, and makeup began flying everywhere until the princess found some skull stickers that could be used to cover up those pesky heart emblems. She peeled off the adhesive and stuck them over the hearts on her face, walking over to her full-body mirror once again. It was nearly perfect.

The blonde princess ran her hands down her body until they reached her hips. She smirked at herself. No traces of the typical Princess Star Butterfly were left.

"...Star?"

Star didn't even have to turn around, but she did anyway. She felt her heart leap, and she quickly shielded her chest with her arms, blushing a bit as she craned her head to look behind her. A brunette, red hoodie-wearing boy was in the doorway, staring back at her.

"Marco! Don't you know how to knock," the princess snapped.

"What are you..." a blush began forming on his face until his brain caught up with his actions. He then slapped a hand on his face, shielding his eyes. "What are you wearing, Star?! You look...you look..." How his mind was screaming to say hot, but he stopped himself mid sentence.

 _Really? Why now_ , Star thought to herself. She missed Marco a lot... but for him to just barge in like that without any warning whatsoever was beginning to tick her off. Her expression softened a bit, but she quickly furrowed her eyebrows at the boy as he slowly moved his hands away from his face.

"I mean... hey Star, I'm...back," Marco said with a half smile as he walked forward. Way to go Marco, you really messed up on introduction, the boy said as he mentally slapped himself. Star was turned away from him, adjusting her top in the mirror.

"Hey." The blonde didn't bother turning around this time.

The coldness of her words stung, and he was started to get mental images of when he came back to Mewni. How cold and nonchalant she was. He thought they were best friends, and it hurt so badly.

"Why are you dressed like that," Marco said, rubbing the back of his head as he tried to force a conversation, but he just felt that it came off as even more awkward.

Her blue eyes looked at him to her side from her peripheral, and she shot him in inadvertent glare. "I have a date with Tom tonight."

"Really? Dressed like that?"

"Yup!"

There was an awkward pause in Star's room. Marco and Star could practically feel the icicles forming from the coldness of their attitudes.

Marco was brave enough to break the silence. "Star? Don't you think it's uh... a little much?"

"Nope," the princess shot back, which made Marco flinch. However, this was not out of sadness. Star was genuinely starting to make him mad, and her short interjections were adding fuel to the fire. The hispanic boy tried his best to hide his emotions, though, to avoid a huge ordeal.

"Uhm, okay, Star. Whatever you say.."

The princess was practically biting her tongue at this point. How she wanted to yell at him and ask him where he's been. He was her squire and he was leaving her alone? What was the point anymore? She needed him, and he wasn't there in her time of need. The thought made her blood boil. "Where...were you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Marco," Star spat, turning to face him, "You're my squire, and you promised you wouldn't leave anymore! You think you can just waltz in here on me and think everything is going to be all sunshine and daisies? Well, they aren't. Why did I even make you my squire if you're never going to be around?" She jabbed his chest with her finger as she spoke, before walking to the other side of the room.

Marco felt a new emotion rising: rage. His blood was piping hot, and he shot a glare at her while her back was turned. "...Excuse me?!"

"Marco, you don't understand. You're my squire, and I need you he-... What?" Star looked over her shoulder at the angry boy grimacing back at her. It was so unlike Marco, and it scared her.

"You heard me, Star Butterfly." His tone was cold, monotonous.

"What are you..."

"You know what I'm talking about, Star," Marco exclaimed, "You think all because you're a princess, you can treat me like dirt? You can do whatever you want? Well, sorry to break it to you, but I have feelings too!"

Star was taken back by his bluntness, and she didn't know how to respond. She stuttered, trying to hastily form a response. "T-that's not true, Marco! I did it so we can hang-"

"Can it, princess."

The blonde flinched at his cynical retort, firing back with an angry look. "What has gotten into you, Marco? You're never like this!"

The boy took a few steps forward, chuckling slightly. "You think that because I'm your squire, and you're not bossing me around, that I'm never like this. How cute."

"Marco... you're scaring me..." Star whimpered. Her firm expression was starting to deteriorate.

Okay, he was going a little too far. The boy stopped a few steps in front of the princess, and lowered his head so that none of his face was shown. Star looked down at him in confusion as a few tears pricked her eyes, ruining her makeup a little.

"...M-Marco?"

The boy looked up at Star, a steady stream of tears running down his face as he began to sob a bit. He wiped them with his hoodie sleeve and through the hood over his head, backing away from Star's attempt to comfort him.

"You're making me miserable," he began, "I'm tired of you thinking that you can order me around, and because I'm your 'squire', and because you're this magical princess, that makes it okay for you to tell me what to do, and keep me miserable!"

"That-"

"Well, guess what, Star?! I had enough! I've had it with you making out with Tom so much that you forgot to wish me happy birthday! I thought we were friends, Star? Huh?! I've tried my best to make you happy, but it's never enough for you!"

"I didn't forget," Star stuttered, "and you do make me happy."

"Sure seems like it," Marco spat fumbling around in his pocket for his scissors, "I hope you have a great evening with Tom, at least he isn't a forgettable earth turd like me!" Before Star could form a response, Marco began cutting open a portal.

"Marco, wait," the blonde pleaded, "Don't leave me, please! We can work this-"

"I don't want to hear it, Star! I've had enough!"

"Marco, don't do this..."

The portal shut. It was silent in her room once again. Star stared blankly at the area where Marco was standing, trying not to cry. She then walked over to her bed and sat down. That's when the tears starting falling like an impending rain shower. Star held her chest, hiccuping and sobbing, with no intention of stopping soon.

She felt like she lost her entire word. She felt empty inside, she felt hollow where her heart once was.

Star had really messed up.


	6. Demon Date

Night had risen in the kingdom of Mewni once again, and the three moons hung high in the sky, casting a porcelain glow on the architecture below.

Star waited outside impatiently. She had promised Tom that she would be there for their date tonight, and she couldn't blow him off. It was their two month anniversary, and everything had to be perfect, however, she sensed in the back of her mind that they weren't. They haven't been spending much time together with the recent events, and her constant thoughts about her best friend, or at least... she hoped they were still friends. Their relationship was sorta on the rocks now. Her mind tried to shut out what happened earlier today. It was about her and Tom now. Nobody else.

She was getting cold. It was seven on a chilly winter night. It was a bad idea for her to wear this sleeveless dress, the wind was picking up, causing goosebumps to form on her arms and shoulders. She crossed her arms for warmth, but it wasn't doing much.

 _Where was that demon_ , she thought to herself. He was supposed to be there five minutes ago, and he was late, and she was going freeze to death out there.

All of a sudden, a skeleton horse-drawn carriage appeared from the ground in a ring of fire, just in front of the princess. The fire was toasty, and she smiled as she watched it rise from the ground. The door opened, and a certain demon teenager stepped out, looking snazzy in his black suit. He fixed his tie and fiddled around with his hair as he stepped out to greet the shivering princess.

"There you are, Star. You look amazing. I could just devour you," he remarked, reaching out his hand for her to grab, "Happy Second One-and-a-half Month Anniversary, babe."

Star blushed as she gently put her hand in his. "Uhh, thanks Tom. You too! I'm just... a little cold, heh."

The demon smirked as he lead her inside the carriage. "We can't have that, now can we? Don't worry, it's nice and toasty inside for you, Starship."

The blonde's eyes wandered around. It was huge side, compared to the tiny surface area that the cart took up from the outside. There was a couch, a dance floor, and there was even a fireplace. The furniture was tinted with a burgundy overcast, which was one of Tom's favorite colors that she could remember.

"Wow, awesome," Star remarked in a singsong voice, "It's like you have everything in here!"

"Heh, I'm glad you approve," Tom replied as he sat down, "I sorta do have everything in here. I'm a prince, and I do a lot of traveling, you know? It's nice to have some things that remind me of home." He patted the spot next to him on the couch, in which Star ran over and sat next to him. She began kicking her legs in excitement, which caused a smile full of sharp teeth from the demon prince. "You're happy, aren't you Starship?"

"Yeah, I am," she nodded, trying her best to be happy for him, "so Uh... where are we going, Tom?"

"To the new amusement park. It just opened up like I said. They call it, Magma Island, and it's not too far from Lava Lake Beach," Tom explained, "I want you to have fun, Star. You've seemed a little... tense."

Star's eyes widened. "What, me? Nonono, I am anything but tense."

The princess then felt two hot hands on her shoulders, which caused her to blush profusely. She looked back to see Tom work her shoulders, trying his best to alleviate her self-proclaimed tension.

"Oh please, I know you're stressed. Your princess stuff has been causing you stress. Just take it easy, and let me help you," the demon muttered as he squeezed and worked her shoulders, causing a sigh from the relaxed Star.

"What does a demon know about stress... aaaahh... relief," The princess inquired.

"Quite a lot, with the help of a certain magical princess," Tom replied.

"Ah, Tom..."

The demon chuckled as he loosened his grip on his girlfriend. "Feeling better, aren't we?"

"Yeah, a bit, thanks Tom," Star said, "that was... very sweet."

"No problem, Starship. We can't have you stressed out about princess stuff... and certain earth turds. This is a night to have fun! You're only going to be young once, ya know? Might as well make the best of it."

"I know," the blonde princess smiled, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. The demon blushed and rubbed the spot where she kissed him and smiled.

And that's exactly what Star would do. Have fun. She wouldn't spend her time worrying about Marco, oh no... that wasn't going to happen. She hoped not, at least.

* * *

The amusement park was hectic to say the least, and the fun that they had didn't falter. They checked out the new rides, including the dragon coaster and the lava raft, and had a blast. Tom accomplished his goal of having Star relax, which is what she needed right now. The events that occurred earlier today were... heavy, to say the least, but she was determined to not let it bother her. She was with Tom now, and this was their two month anniversary, and nothing, including Marco, was going to ruin her night if she depended on it.

Now the two teenagers were at a fancy restaurant that was popular in the Underworld, and chatter filled the air. Tom wanted to take Star to multiple places tonight to get her accustomed to the Underworld, since they were seeing each other a lot more often than before, and he was much more invested in his relationship with the princess.

Star sat down, relaxing in her seat as she looked at her demon boyfriend, who was fixing his tie. "So, Tommy, what are you in the mood for? This is so... different from the restaurants in the Overworld. Like, literally...ninety-nine percent of the time I'm chowing down on corn or something. You know how Mewmans love their corn, eh?"

Tom chuckled at her comment as he fixed his tie, turning to her to give a content smile. "Yeah, I can see that, and whatever you want, Starship." He picked her hand up that was on the table and pecked it softly. "This is our day, and I want it to be special. I mean, I'm still getting over the fact that you gave me another chance. It makes me so happy that you had faith in me."

The princess blushed at his hospitality and sweetness, though, the previous comment gave her thoughts that she tried to shove deep into the back of her mind. She gave him a content smile. "Aww, Tom. Of course I did. I'm impressed with your attempts to change, and all that matters is that you're trying."

The demon prince gave a half smile to his girlfriend, who's expression dropped a bit. Star looked down at her boots, kicking them together in an attempt to distract herself, which caused Tom to raise an eyebrow. "Something the matter?"

"Oh no, nothing's the matter," the princess said, flashing a toothy smile. "Just...nervous, I guess. We've never been...this serious, ya know? I don't wanna mess up." _by thinking about Marco. Oh no, I'm thinking about Marco_ , Star thought to herself.

"I'm nervous too, but try not to worry about it too much," Tom reassured. He quickly thought of a way to cheer her up, and he snapped his fingers, making a burning rose appear from the flame in his palm. He offered it to her. "Here, take this. I know you think it's cheesy and stuff, but I love making them for you."

Star took the flower from him, making an 'mm' sound as she gave it a sniff. The smell was pleasant, and the faint aroma of burnt umber filled her nasal cavity. Using her wand, she made a simple vase between the two of them and stuck the rose inside. "Your cheesiness is cute, and so are your weird flaming roses." Tom simply smiled at her comment. The princess then started looking at the menu, wrinkling her nose at the choices. "Ugh, they sell live eyeballs here? Disgusting."

Tom chuckled slightly, putting his feet on the table and his arms behind his head. "Silly Starship. You know they have other options too. They even sell corn products if you want them."

"Anything but corn," Star exclaimed. They both laughed at the comment.

"Well there are a lot of options. Blood finger bites, Ghoul nail chips, they even have pig goat guts," Tom said, listing each option off on his fingers, "We can even prank the waiters by giving them endless dishes to pick up. I know you're always down for a good prank. What do ya say?"

The princess pondered the demon prince's offer for a moment, then sighed. She loved being mischievous with Tom most of the time, but today, she just wasn't in the mood. Her argument with Marco still lingered in the back of her mind, and she simply couldn't shake the feeling. She looked up at the demon coyly, flashing a half smile. "Uh, I'm just not in the mood today, sorry, Tom."

"Starship, you love playing pranks with me. Remember the one time we swapped that lady's sunscreen with mayonnaise? And today's our anniversary. We have to do something big to mark such a milestone."

Star gave a sheepish laugh. "Yeah, that was pretty rich, but I guess I'm just hungry. Maybe we can do something tomorrow."

Tom was not fooled by her lie, and gave her a concerned gaze, rubbing her hand softly. "You don't sound so good. Is something bugging you? You can tell me, let it all out." She gave him a saddened smile before it dropped into a frown.

"Fine... Well, a lot has been happening since Mmmmm-" She stopped herself mid sentence. She couldn't bring Marco up on their date! She mentally slapped herself, quickly grabbing her drink and gulping it down before slamming it on the table. "Mmm, that's some good stuff." Tom only save her a serious look, and Star slumped in her chair. "...You uh... know what I was going to say, don't you?"

Tom rolled his eyes, giving a sarcastic comment. "Nooo, not a clue. It's Marco again, isn't it?" Star gave a nervous laugh as she twiddled her thumbs together. "You can't fool me, Star."

"Uh... yeaaaaah." Tom crossed his arms, waiting for an explanation. She began again, "Well, I've seen him earlier, so I know he's alright. But, before he left, he's been acting really strange... he was so eager to help out. You see, I've been sleep portaling..."

"Sleep portaling," Tom mimicked.

"Sleep portaling," Star said again, "And he sorta helped me overcome that. I kinda stopped with his help. I was being called by ponies, and he kinda saved me from it, being my squire and all."

Tom felt his anger rising, and he clenched his fists, growling as he tried to keep his temper under control. "Wait... so you mean to tell me that you were in danger BEFORE this whole monster bash fiasco and you didn't even let me know?! But you let him know before me? Your boyfriend?" Star recoiled, but quickly slid a glass of water over to him, which he grabbed and dumped on his head, suppressing the flames. "Uh... sorry. I mean, Star... you don't have to let Marco know everything, I can do stuff too you know. It would be much appreciated if you would let me know these things too."

Star felt horrible. She sighed and gave the demon a sympathetic look. "Ah... Sorry, Tom. You're not mad, are you?" Her mind was racing. She knew how possessive the demon was, and she thought she had said too much, especially considering the fact that she was trying to slowly move Marco out of her life. She thought Tom was getting the wrong idea, but he was only laughing, causing Star to tilt her head in confusion.

"Nonono, of course not, Starship," Tom replied with a smile, "Seriously, Marco is my best friend... and... to put it bluntly, my only friend. We may butt heads sometime, but we will always be bros, even though we kind of gotten carried away at your birthday celebration.. I trust him with you, you two are friends. It's not cool of me to try and get between you two, you know?"

She mentally sighed in relief. She had dodged a bullet right there. "Oh, I'm glad that you and Marco are cool. Look, Tom... I'm sorry for bringing this up. It's just been on my mind lately, and I really needed to get it off of my chest. I didn't mean to ruin our night."

Tom looked up from the menu that he was suddenly reading, as he had just used it to dry himself demon could sense that Star didn't spill the beans on everything, and was growing ever more suspicious, but he kept it to himself. He didn't want to ruin this day, or heighten Star's stress levels. "Don't sweat it, Starship. Let's just try and enjoy our date. I'm sorry too, for overreacting... The night is still young, and we still haven't gotten a bite to eat. Did you know what you wanted to order, yet?"

Star gave him a weak smile. "Well, no... I'm fine with whatever you get. Just...anything but corn, you know?" She laughed, causing a laugh to come from him as well.

"Heh, of course, Starship," Tom chuckled, "Anything for you."

* * *

After enjoying dinner together, and seeing some of the main attractions of the Underworld, Tom took Star back to the skeleton horse carriage and back to a quiet park back within the Butterfly kingdom. It was a nice contrast to all of the fire and smoke of Tom's home. There was a lake, a grassy meadow, complete with a backdrop of oak trees. Star had never been here with Tom, or any boy really, but she did know that Mewmans loved to take their significant others here. It was romantic, and being here with Tom, her first serious boyfriend, Prince of the Underworld, was rather special to her, and took her mind off of her duties... or so she thought.

Tom had put his jacket over her shoulders, as it was a unseasonably warm winter night, and she wasn't dressed accordingly. She was wearing the outfit that she had picked out this morning, and was practically a Star-cicle at this point. They walked over to the edge of the lake with the other couples, and watched the three moons that illuminated the night sky.

"I... really, enjoyed tonight," Star chirped, breaking the silence. She rested her head on the prince's shoulder, sighing happily.

"I did, too, Starship." His voice didn't sound as it did usually when he was happy about something, and the princess could sense it, but she tried not to think about it too much. She lifted her head and looked at the demon, who was staring blankly at the water. At an attempt to lighten the mood, Star poked his shoulder. "Is there anywhere else you want to go, Tommy? I mean it's not that late... it's only 9 o'clock, we can stay out longer if you want! Eh, eh? Maybe we can play some pranks? Test our hands at a few rounds of ping pong?" Tom sighed before giving a weak laugh as he gently pushed her off of him and took a step away from her, causing Star to become confused.

"As tempting as that offer sounds, Starship, I am going to have to decline."

Star was confused. She hopped back over to demon prince, but his back was turned. "What, why? You're the one who is always saying we need to spend more time together. You know, because being a princess is the most important thing on my plate right now. I'm here now, Tom, so lets make the best of this night."

Tom kept his back turned, and the princess could see his shoulders move a bit. He was trying his best to control his anger, and hide it from her. He took a deep breath and lowered his head. "It all makes sense now."

"Tommy...Tom... Wait, what are you talking about?"

"Listen." He shot back around and gently grabbed her shoulders, all three eyes staring back into hers. "You are...amazing. You are kind, accepting, and generous... Something that I will never be, no matter how many therapy sessions I go to." His comment made Star giggle slightly, and she kept her attention onto him. With a pointed finger, he gently peeled off one of her skull stickers, revealing the heart emblem underneath, that was glowing pinkish. "I think it's time for you to stay true to yourself, Star. You're not genuinely happy, and I can sense it."

Star grabbed the spot where he had peeled off the sticker, then averted her gaze back to him. She was confused right now, and was trying to process what was going on. "True to myself? What are you talking about? I AM staying true to myself. They don't call me rebel princess for nothing!" She folded her arms, shutting her eyes. "It's just... I have a lot of baggage right now: fixing Mewni, uniting Mewmans and monsters... Heck, I don't even know who my own family is anymore. It's time for me to grow up, Tom, you and I both know this." She gently pushed her hand onto his cheek before taking a step back, and looking away. "I'm just... scared, Tom. If I...stay fully true to myself, I will..."

"Get hurt," Tom finished, causing Star to turn back around and face him. Her mouth was opened slightly. How did he know? The demon prince crossed his arms, continuing. "I understand completely, but you can't run away from your problems forever. Take it from me, I figured out that I had a problem, and I tackled it, and tried my best to fix it. You should too, Starship." He turned his back away from her once more. "You know, from the time we've been avoiding each other, I've been doing some thinking... You, me... This isn't going to work, Star. You need to be with someone that brings out the best in you, and I am simply not that guy..."

Star's heart began to race, and her pupils contracted to the size of pins. She gently touched Tom's shoulder, frantic to direct this conversation to something else. "But... Tom, you are that guy!" Tom brushed off her hand and stared at her blankly. The princess laughed faintly, trying to ease the awkwardness, but it wasn't working in her favor. "I love yo-"

"You don't, Star, you're still head over heels for Marco," Tom said firmly.

"What?! What are you-"

"Look at the sky. What do you see?"

The princess' craned her head up at the sky, focusing on Mewni's moons. One...two...three... Wait, something wasn't right, she thought to herself. Something was red. There was a red moon directly overhead, casting a red glow on the ground below. She gasped in surprise, trying to form words, but Tom just gave her a serious look.

"The.. Blood Moon? But I... the last time I seen it I..."

"...You were with earth turd," Tom quietly said, rubbing her back softly. "It's fine, I get it. You still have feelings for the kid. But look, we can't be together when you're in love with someone else. We'll just end up making ourselves miserable."

Star's lip quivered, and her blue orbs began to well with tears. "But... but Tom... I-I do love..."

"Oh no, don't you start! You know I hate it when you..." Tom couldn't contain his anger anymore. His body combusted in flames, and his eyes turned red as he rose into the air. Star watched, waving her arms in an attempt to calm him down.

"Wait, Tom-"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU USED ME, STAR! I'M NOT YOUR PLAYTHING THAT YOU CAN USE BECAUSE YOU ARE TRYING TO FORGET ABOUT DIAZ!"

"Tom, please! It isn't like that... not at all. Please, calm down, and let me explain..." Star said, holding her hands out. Tom turned his back from her, arms crossed and still floating above the ground. Star blew her bangs out of her eyes and rubbed her shoulder, looking down at the ground.

"...I'm... afraid. I don't want to get hurt...I've been so fixated on the idea that Marco probably doesn't feel the same way that I tried to cover up my emotions, pretend that they weren't there... and maybe, one day, they'd go away..." She sighed. "...but they haven't."

Tom turned around to see her standing there, staring blankly at the ground. He was beginning to calm down, and the flames dispersed and he dropped to his feet once again. Star looked up at him. "...What if I just...end up getting hurt?"

"It never hurts to test the waters," Tom replied, "Just like I did with you. After our breakup, I was so sure that we were off for good," He chuckled and gazed at Star, "but I tested the waters, tried my best to change, and look at where we are now. We're ending things on a good note. As friends."

Star pondered his statement for a minute, then looked up at the demon, who gave her a reassuring grin. She was still experiencing a lot of anxiety though, however. "But Tom, you did change. You're so much better at controlling your anger. But... you're right. I should stop pushing Marco away, and just accept him...into my heart." She put her hands over her chest.

"I wouldn't say that, Star. One little demon guy isn't what I'd like to refer to as changing but..." He noticed her timid look, and gently lifted her chin to meet his eyes. "Look Star. I really enjoyed the time we spent together. Today was amazing, and I had amazing time with you. You, yourself are amazing. This is for the best, Starship. Remember this: no matter what happens between you and Marco, I will always be here for you. I still care for you a lot.I've come to accept it now, and I'm ready to let you go as a love interest. I will be your friend now."

He pulled the princess into a tight embrace, and she gently returned it, smiling through her tears.

"Friends," The demon inquired.

"Friends," the princess replied. She had accepted her feelings now, and were ready to deal with them head on.

* * *

 ** _Quick Authors Note:_**

I just want to give a special thanks to Robertkellert for helping me write this chapter, and letting me use a similar concept to his story, along with all the support he's given me while writing this. Please check his stuff out, it's amazing. :)

\- Starry


	7. These New Feelings

Marco stared at the ground, kicking some of the dirt on the ground with the toe of his sneaker. He was starting to feel more and more apprehensive after his harsh comments to Star. Seeing the tears run down her face, her practically begging for him to stay played in his mind over and over again. How he wanted to wipe her tears away and pull her into his arms, and tell her that everything would be alright.

Stuffing his hands back into his pockets, he made his way to Kelly's humble abode. He had spent enough time wallowing alone, thinking about Star's date with Tom. He just assumed that she had an amazing time with him, and didn't even think about what had happened earlier that day. Marco sniffled, and wiped a few tears that were leaking out of his eyes. Why did he care so much? She was treating him badly, but he needed it? After all, he did promise to her that he would stay by her side in times of peace and danger, and he was doing the exact opposite. He was running away from just that, and the more he thought about it, the more that he began to think that he should probably go back.

The boy bought his hand up, exhaling softly, and gently knocked on the wooden door. A few seconds passed, and the green-haired girl answered, giving a reassuring smile.

"Oh, hey Marco. How did your talk with Star go," she asked as she gestured him inside. Marco followed her lead, saulking as he plopped down on the sofa with his hoodie over his head. "Oh, you don't look so good. It didn't go well I'm assuming?" Marco sighed, repeatedly zipping and unzipping his hoodie as he blew a strand of his hair out of his face.

"Well, it did go well. I told Star exactly how I felt."

Kelly was confused, and she raised her eyebrow. "Oh? Well, if it went well like you said, why are you moping? I thought you wanted Star to know the way she was treating you was wrong."

"I did! Well, I thought I did. I just... feel bad about it." Marco sighed, putting his head into his hands. The more he thought about it, the worse it made him feel. The green haired girl looked down and began to twiddle her thumbs, then looked over at Marco, who began to mess with his hair.

"Feel bad? Why? Didn't she need to hear this?"

Marco then adverted his attention back to Kelly. "Well, yeah. But the look on her face, she was sad about it. I could tell. I... made a promise to her that I would always be there for her no matter what. As her squire."

Kelly was confused. After all the things that he had told her, why was he thinking that it was a good idea to go back to her? Logically, a friend treating another friend like dirt wasn't right in her book. She knew that Marco was a caring individual, and believed that he shouldn't be subjected to that sort of treatment, even if she was friends with Star or not. "But Marco, isn't your well-being more important than some dumb squire position? Look, Marco, you're a great guy, and you should be worrying more about yourself." Marco felt a hand touch his leg, and he flinched in surprise to see her hand on his knee. His eyes wandered up to her lips, which were done up in a warm smile.

"But, Kelly," Marco said, frantic, "Star is important to me! I know she doesn't care about me as much as I care about her, but it is my job to protect her, and I'm doing the exact opposite. I feel terrible!"

"Hey, look at me," Kelly said in a soft tone, moving her hand to place on his mole-splotched cheek, "You're a great guy,and the way she was treating you wasn't cool at all. She's lucky that you still care about her. But... I think you did the right thing. So, please, try not to worry about it too much, okay?"

Marco was mesmerized, watching her face with every word she spoke. Her eyes were on his, and her face was getting closer, closer... until their lips were nearly touching. This wasn't right, Marco thought to himself, This isn't right. Marco closed this eyes, letting out a breath of air that disrupted Kelly's bold move.

"Kelly, I can't do this," Marco said firmly, "Look, you're an awesome gal and all, but it wouldn't be right for me to kiss you when I am in love with someone else." He placed a hand on her shoulder as he brought himself to his feet, and Kelly stood up.

"But Marco! She's head over heels for Tom, and you deserve to be happy," Kelly hastily said, "I can't stand seeing you like this! You deserve happiness, not chasing your unavailable crush!"

The boy sighed at her valid point. What he was doing wouldn't get him anywhere. Despite all of this however, it felt strangely right. "Kissing you won't make me feel better, Kelly. It's more complicated than that. I don't need kisses from a supportive friend, or fancy adventures, what I need is a friend to support me in whatever choices I decide to make... stupid or not."

Kelly felt awful, she felt like she was being bold only to fulfil her own selfish desires. She looked down, grabbing at her sweater as Marco turned away from her. SIghing, she began, "I get it. I'm sorry for being so... pushy. Are we... still friends, Marco?"

Marco walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Of course, Kelly. You were just trying to help. I appreciate it."

"Well, I guess kissing you isn't helping you with your issues with Star. You can go back to her if that's what you really want. I'll always be here for you, Diaz."

Thanks, Kelly," Marco said as he pulled her into a tight hug, which she readily accepted. The pink blush on her brownish cheeks turned slightly redder.  
"No problem. Want to get a goblin dog or two sometime?"

"Of course, that sounds lovely."

* * *

Star laid on her bed, belly up and wide-eyed as she stared up at the ceiling. She was trying to piece together this rubix cube of a puzzle in her head. It didn't add up. It was like some weird conspiracy to her or something along the lines of that. Why did it seem as if her life was beginning to crumble apart?

As her princess preparations began to become more intense, to compensate, she rushed things, She was close to uniting Mewmans and monsters, that plan failed miserably. She tried to reconnect with Tom. That also failed, not as miserable as her peace treaty, but almost. She tried to mend her friendship with Marco, and that also seemed like an epic fail. Everything was falling apart again and again.

She put a pillow over her face and groaned into it.

"Globgore! Globgore!" A barking Glossaryck interrupted her train of thought.

"Not now Glossaryck," Star Butterfly moaned, "I'm too busy thinking!"

He whimpered, a leash in his mouth, then placed it on the bed beside the grieving girl. Star sighed, sitting up on the bed and picking up the leash and eyeing it closely. "Sorry Glossaryck, I can't walk you today. I'm not in the mood. It would be great if I had a squire or something, but noooooo... He just had to think I was abusing him, huh?" Star stood up and waved her hands in the air as she began to pace, causing Glossaryck to look at her, intrigued.

"I can't believe Marco would think something like that! I am his best friend! I would never treat him like dirt! Why would he... why would... Oh." A wave of realization came over her as she continued her monologue to herself and the genie-dog.

"Well, Glossy, I guess I was kind of a jerk to him. I shoved him into the laundry room with Lavabo, and I did sorta forgot to wish him a happy birthday. I didn't even bother to do it after he threw me that birthday party, which was very, very sweet, even though I didn't want it. Oh, no... Poor Marco. I was an idiot, wasn't I? He would never be into a jerk like me. What in corn was Tom thinking?! Marco doesn't like me! He's probably still heartbroken about Jackie! I don't understand why he would give up his whole life on Earth to come back to Mewni, when it's still recovering from the whole Toffee fiasco!" Star, enraged, kicked the side of her bed, causing a shooting pain to travel up her leg. She yelped, grabbing her foot as she hopped around for a few seconds, amusing Glossaryck.

"Glob glob glob!"

"Quiet you," Star snapped, "You lost a few... a lot of marbles!"

The princess growled to herself, pulling her hair out of her devil horn headband. "Stupid Tom! I gave him another chance to be with me, and he just drops it like he wasn't into me before?! What sense does that make? In love with Marco?! I got over it! I don't love him! I don't love anyone! I..."

"Glob..."

"You're right, Glossaryck! Maybe this is a weird voodoo trick or something! Janna may know something about this!" The blonde pulled out her compact phone and began calling for Janna, causing an annoyed 'Globgore' to come from Glossaryck as he slapped his forehead.

"Star!" A voice called from the doorway, starting the princess. She drew her wand and fired a blast of rainbow energy, causing a scream from the figure standing in the door. It ducked just in time as the spell dispersed right above his head, charred wood simmering.

"Rainbow Fist Punch," Star exclaimed. She gasped when she realized who was there.

"Marco! I have to teach you how to knock! Wait a minute... Marco?"

The boy rubbed his head, a nervous smile painting his face. "Hey, Star... I'm back."

Star's surprised expression faded, and she chuckled nervously as he walked over. "Hey, uh."

"Look," Marco began as he sat on her bed, looking up at her with a serious expression, "I'm sorry about yesterday... I don't know what came over me and... I guess I just overreacted." Star sat next to him as he continued. "I don't know what I was thinking. Being a princess' squire is a pretty sweet gig. I mean, I had the privilege of living in this big castle with the most powerful of Mewmans, and with the most bea..." he stopped himself before he said to much, gained his composure, and continued. "Uh, well, you get the idea. Look, I'm sorry Star." He handed her a goblin dog. The wrapping on it was a bit damp, and it was cold, but still fresh nonetheless. "I brought this back for you. I know, it's a little cold. I went to go get goblin dogs with Kelly and... yeah."

Star giggled as she took the hot dog from Marco and flashed a smile."Thanks Marco, but I should be apologizing to you. I didn't realize how horrible I was to you. I've been treating you like dirt! I'm just trying to be the best princess I can now, and that shouldn't be an excuse to treat my best friend horribly. I guess I shouldn't have been so invested in my duties as a princess, or my relationship with Tom... I'm so sorry, Marco."

Marco looked at her, and saw sadness in her blue eyes as they became glassy with tears threatening to spill over. He could tell that she regretted her actions dearly. She looked up at him with a skittish look, which caused the boy to offer her a reassuring grin as he touched her shoulder. "Don't sweat it, Star. We'll always be friends. I realize that now."

The princess smiled up at him. "Friends forever?"

"Friends forever." He went to hug her, but she didn't move. They fiddled around for a minute, bumping into each other and giggling, until they just settled for a friendly fist bump.

"So uh," Marco began awkwardly, "how did your date with Tom go?"

Star froze in place. She wasn't ready to tell him that they in fact cut it off so soon. Her eyes widened, and she could feel sweat beading on her back. She opened her mouth to speak but it came out as stuttering. "U-uh... it was... great! We did a lot of... spooky stuff! Demon stuff, yeah!"

Marco wiggles his fingers. "Sounds pretty spooky!"

"Yeah," Star said, "I know right?"

They both laughed, then Marco got up and walked to the door. "Look, Star, I'll be in my room. I need some rest since I've been doing a lot of traveling lately. Just give me a yell if you need anything. After all, I'm supposed to be your loyal, trusty squire."

Star smiled warmly. "Thank squire."

The Latino boy smiled as he gently shut the door behind him. As soon as he left, her smile dropped. She was so afraid of rejection, and it ate at her very soul. What was she going to do if he didn't in fact like her back? She could take Tom's advice, but that is too simple. She sighed to herself as she fell onto her bed once again. This was quite the predicament.

Marco laid in his bed, exhausted from all the mishaps and drama that went down the last few days. However, despite all of this, he was happy to be home in his own bed, which Star just down the hallway once again. It almost felt like old times, except the awkwardness that he could feel forming between them. It made a pit begin to form in his stomach, but he didn't think too much about it.

All of sudden, the laser puppies began to bark madly at seemingly nothing, interrupting his rest. Their lasers burned holes through the walls and his bed. Marco picked his head up and shot a glare at them. "Aw, man! Would you guys stop ruining my stuff?! I have to get Star to fix that later."

A scroll appeared out of thin air, from a burst of flames and it fell right into Marco's lap, the intense heat making him yell in pain. "Ow! Where did this even come from?!" When the heat subsided, he picked up the scroll and opened it up.

 _Hey, Earth turd! I mean.. Marco! I'll be there to pick you up tomorrow afternoon! We have to catch up on some things, maybe play a few games of ping pong or something you know?!_

Marco furrowed his brow. What could Tom possibly want with him? Does he think that he will steal Star away from him again? Perhaps try to kill him again? Whatever it was, he didn't have a good feeling about it. "What does that demon even want? Ugh, I don't even think I should go."

He flopped back down on his bed. His crush on Star was causing him grief, and the more he started to wish this feelings would just go away, but the more he wished, the more they stung. He wasn't getting over her any time soon.


	8. Frenemy

"I don't think I can do this."

"Come on, Starship. Don't you remember what I told you that night?"

Star Butterfly nervously ran her fingers through her hair as she talked into her mirror phone. The burning sensation that built up in her guts was becoming harder to ignore, and time was fastly disintegrating. She had to tell Marco how she felt, but the thought of doing so felt so alien to her. For a little over a year, the boy was nothing more than her friend. Her partner in crime. Her roomate. The thought of this shift in feelings scared her, so she went to her ex demon boyfriend Tom for advice.

"I know you said that stuff about 'testing the waters', but what if that water is too deep," the princess whimpered.

Tom chuckled, taking a bite of his burrito. The worrying Star was slightly amusing to him. "Well, you could at least say that you told him. Still, I'm sure you will be just fine."

"I don't know, Tom. I just don't know. He never seemed interested in me before. Why now?"

"The mind can do crazy things, Starship."

Their conversation was interrupted by a chorus of 'globgores', followed by the sound of footsteps beating into the floor. Glossaryck came shooting in, followed by a disheveled Marco, who had twigs caught in his hair. He was also holding a leash, and his breathing was heavy.

"I love you too, Tommy! I can't wait to see you tonight!"

"Uhhh, you too, Starship-"

Star quickly ran over and closed the satin curtains, rubbing the back of her head as Marco walked over. He panted, placing his hands on his knees in exhaustion. "Hey Star, I just got back from walking Glossaryck. He dragged me through the woods so I think I did an okay job."

Star smiled as she sat on the bed, and a tired Glossy-dog jumped in her lap and was soon fast asleep, she gave his head a pat as she looked up at her squire. "Thanks Marco."

"Yeah, Star. So... anything else you need me to do? I kinda owe you... since I ran away and stuff." He gave her a nervous look, and Star just shook her head.

"No, Marco. I think you did enough today. You look tired. I think you should get some rest."

Marco felt his heart flutter at her caring remark. This was such a radical difference from the cold, nonchalant Star that he had become accustomed to during his first days on Mewni. "Thanks, Star, but no thanks. I have a thing with Tom today soon."

"A thing?"

"A thing."

"What kind... of thing?" The princess blinked. Oh, if this is about Marco and I, I will kill that demon, she thought to herself.

The boy pulled a twig that was tangled in his locks out, then flattened and fixed his hair as he replied, "I'm not sure really? He said it was important, so I better go. You know how Tom gets when he's angry."

"Oh." She paused. "Have fun. Uh, I'm surprised he's not avoiding you after that whole birthday party fiasco. Have you two made up?"

"I guess so...? I'm kinda confused to as to what he wants." Before Star could respond, Marco was already at the door, he turned his head to face her. "Anyway, I'll see you soon Star. I'll organize your ship-in-a-bottles for you later if you want!"

"Bye Marco, have fun!"

The door softly closed, and Star's smiled drooped. That gut feeling was back; she knew what they were going to talk about deep down. It scared her, but why was she afraid? This was her best friend she was talking about. She could tell him anything in the entire world...and he would be okay with it, but one thing was uncertain: Would these new feelings ruin it?

* * *

Marco browsed his closet for a new hoodie. When he was back on Earth, he had gotten several of the same red hoodie. There was no important reason for him to own the same red hoodie, it was simply because he liked it, and red was his favorite color. The one he had on was sweaty, and carried the pungent odor of BO. He couldn't hang with Tom smelling like that, despite the fact that the demon smelled of charred timber all of the time.

"Ah, this is the one," Marco said to himself as he reached to grab the hoodie off of the hanger. He let out a girlish scream when he saw what was lurking in his closet.

"Marco, bro!"

"Tom! What are you doing in my closet? And how did you even get in there?" Marco watched as the demon teenager grab one of his hoodies, in which he snatched it back and snapped at him. "Hey, hands off the hoodie! Star already gave you one, and you completely destroyed it!"

He put his hands up in defense. "Sorry dude!" Look, Marco. We need to talk."

"Yeah, I know. I got your message," the boy replied, "I thought I was going to meet you at your place? Or do you have something with Star and had to cancel?"

"I just thought it would be easier to come to you," Tom replied calmly. He stepped out of the closet and his eyes scanned the room. "Nice space ya got here. Needs a bit more... Fire, but that's not your style, I'm assuming?"

"Heh, thanks Tom. It's just the room I had back on earth. Nothing really special about it." He walked over and grabbed a controller, tossing it to the demon. "How about a game? Let's face it, you're the ping pong champ and I'm never going to beat you at it. Also, you completely destroyed my hand last time we played." He then walked over, back faced to Tom as he turned on the television. He then walked back over and sat next to him as the game intro screen appeared, then he turned to face Tom, who's eyes widened in awe.

"So... how have things been?" Marco remarked awkwardly.

"Eh, the usual," the demon replied nonchalantly as he shrugged. His thumbed mashed the buttons as he began making a character in the game.

"...How have you and Star been?" He gulped as those words escaped his lips, careful not to upset him. He wasn't sure how steady their relationship was, considering what went down at Star's birthday celebration. They were physically hurting him. "You two have spending a lot of time together."

Tom kept his attention drawn to the television as he formed a response. He saw how apprehensive Star acted earlier, and thought it wouldn't be a good idea to tell Marco about their breakup just yet. "Oh, you know, same-old, same-old. She doesn't really tell me anything. It's like she's hiding something from me."

Marco felt his heart rate increase. The last thing he wanted the demon to think that he was doing things with Star behind his back, or perhaps reveal the crush that he had on her to him. "I'm sure it's not that at all, Tom. She has a lot going on right now," He smashed the buttons as he played the fighting game against Tom, "she's trying to improve the relations between Mewmans and monsters, not to mention fixing the damage that Toffee has caused, and Eclipsa's trial. It's important to her."

Tom's expression softened. "Like I said, she tells me nothing," he scoffed.

"I don't understand why," Marco said, careful not to push any buttons, "I mean, I always told Jackie about things I did with Star, and she was understanding. Heh, even though I didn't at the end of our relationship. She uh... kinda broke up with me at the end of it all."

Tom turned his head, giving a sympathetic expression. "Ah, that's rough buddy. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, really," the boy said, cracking a small smile, "I just want Jackie to be happy, and I wasn't the one making her happy. I'm Star's squire now, and that's what I should really be focusing on, even though it's a ton of work. Not that I mind though, I love helping her and all, we're best friends."

Tom raised an eyebrow. He was getting closer and closer to what he wanted Marco to confirm. "Seems like she's pretty open with you, huh? You're lucky to have the princess of Mewni as your best friend."

Marco chuckled as his thumbs clicked the buttons on the controller. "I wouldn't say she's open with me. I mean, she's hidden things from me as well. But yeah, I guess you're right, Tom. Growing up in Echo Creek, I have experienced my fair share of teasing. Nobody really understood me. Even in Mewni, it feels as if I don't belong. I don't know my place. It's... nice, to have a friend like Star." He let out a soft sigh, advertising his attention back to the game. "Ever since she came into my life, my whole world has changed. Sometimes I wish things would stay as they were before she left for earth. Just her and I as best buds who go on crazy adventures. I understand that we all have to grow up at some point, but still... I miss how things used to be."

"...You mean how things were before Song Day? The songstrel had puppets. She supposedly had a-" The answer shocked Marco, and he paused the game and stood up, clearing his throat.

"If this conversation is headed where I think it is heading, let me just tell you that I'm happy for you Tom, really," He said as he forced a grin, "I'm happy that you managed to get back with Star like you've always wanted, and I'm happy that you're trying your best to change. I told you to let Star come to you, rather than forcing her to be with you, and look what happened? I guess she was really into that. Congrats dude." He gently punched Tom's shoulder, and he grabbed it, smiling up at Marco. He then opened his mouth to speak.

"Thanks, Marco. That is really cool of you to say. It... wasn't for Star, though. I'm happy that she was into my efforts to work on my anger issues, but it was really for myself. I wanted myself to get better. It's not cool blowing up at losing to ping pong, ya know?" He unpaused the game and continued to battle Marco. The comment lingered in his mind, he was happy to know that someone other than Star was proud of his efforts.

Marco chucked at the comment, remembering their game of ping pong months ago. "Yeah, I know what you mean. That's awesome how you're trying to get yourself figured out. I still have a long way to go..."

"So, how did you like Lava Lake Beach?"

Marco's eye twitched, and he nearly dropped his controller in reaction to the comment. He regained his composure, and answered calmly. "It was amazing, and so was the Soulrise. I'm sorry I couldn't see it with you and Star... I had some things come up. You see, Kelly was having some problems with Tad... and I ran off to help her sort them out. Then I had some issues of my own come up, and Kelly helped me. We then went and watched the Soulrise together, and I ended up feeling a little better. It had to be my birthday of all days..."

"Wait wait wait... That was your birthday?!" Tom was appalled, "Oh man, I am so sorry! I was too busy with Star to ask... I would have gotten you something if I had known."

"It's fine dude, don't sweat it. Star didn't even wish me a happy birthday either. I get it, you two wanted to have fun. Didn't want me getting in the way. Besides, seeing the Soulrise was a pretty awesome experience. I guess that could be considered my gift."

Tom looked at Marco as he kept his attention turned to the television, connecting all of the pieces in his head. It was all making sense now. Song Day, the Soulrise, Star's birthday. The demon chuckled to himself. "Heh, I hope you're feeling better, Marco," he said, even though he knew he had something on his brain. A certain princess of sorts.

"I am," Marco was practically lying through his teeth, "thanks. And... I'm sorry for saying all of that stuff on Stump Day. I don't know what came over me."

"It's fine earth turd. I'm sorry too, I guess I still need to learn how to better control my anger." The demon rubbed the back of his head.

"Heh, it's a start. You're a great boyfriend to her."

Tom was growing agitated. He had all of the information he needed from him. He was one hundred percent certain that he liked her too. But he figured to obey Star's wishes, and convince Marco that they were still together. "Say Marco, you ready to get your butt kicked?" He pressed start, and maneuvered his character to deliver a kick to the jaw in the game, in which Marco frantically made his character jump back.

"In your dreams, demon boy," the boy said darkly.

* * *

The sound of Star's boots hitting the cold marble floor filled the room as she paced back and forth in front of Pony Head, Starfan13, Janna, and Kelly. Their eyes darted back and forth as they watched the blonde-haired princess skip from one side of the room to the other, venting out her troubles to them. She had invited them over to to discuss the issues that had came up between her and Marco, and they were the closest to her, and she trusted them with her secrets.

"B-fly, wouldn't it just be easier to just tell Marco how you feel instead of lying to him about still being with Tom," Pony Head remarked, causing nods of agreement to reverberate from Janna and Starfan13, "I knew it wouldn't last with that demon, gurl, and by the way, you're still hung up on earth turd, it was obvious from the get go!"

Star stopped her pacing and turned to face the pony princess. "Ugh, Pony Head! You just don't understand! Marco is my best friend! I don't want to completely weird him out by telling him how I really feel about him! It's weird... I mean, we've been friends for so long, and to think that this might ruin that it's just..."

"You two should just get a kissing hole. There's been tension building up between you two since the start of summer. Problem solved," Janna interjected with a snort, causing an aggravated sigh to emit from Star.

"Janna! You're not helping!" the princess facepalmed with both of her hands, and Pony Head floated over, giving her a comforting nuzzle with her snout. "It's just so hard girls... I just don't know what to do... I don't want to lose Marco forever!"

Janna and Starfan13 walked over and placed their hands on Star's back as she pulled her hair, apprehensive and frustrated. The pony princess continued to nuzzle. "I think we all know how much earth turd means to you, B-fly, but lying ain't gonna cut it! You gotta be upfront with him and just tell him!"

"You don't deserve Marco..." a voice said. The three friends turned their attention away from Star and all turned to the direction the comment came from. Kelly sat there, arms crossed, a slightly angered expression showing through her circular glasses.

It was as if a cold gust of air had blown through the room. Complete silence, that you could hear a pin drop. Star looked up with a calm expression, and breaking the silence, she calmly asked, "What did you just say?"

"You heard me, Star," Kelly said, her voice growing in volume. The rage that was building up inside her could be felt by the participants in the room Star shot a glare at Kelly as the room's atmosphere darkered, and nobody made a sound.

Kelly continued her manifesto, " Maybe if you had actually taken the time to hang out with with him, instead of making him a squire so you can order him around, things would have turned out differently."

"Ohhhh snap," Pony Head said as she watched the standoff, sticking her head into Janna's popcorn that she had seemingly pulled from thin air.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Star growled, "I made Marco my squire so we could hang out and do fun stuff together like we used to do!"

Kelly stood up, her eyebrows furrowing as she scoffed. "Sure you have. Marco certainly doesn't feel that way."

The princess put her guard up, the volume of her voice increased as the sheer anger was becoming more apparent. She clenched her fists tightly. "Don't you talk to me like you know Marco better than I do! We're best friends, and I clearly know him better than you do!"

"I'm offended because Star is offended," Starfan13 said as she held the infuriated Star back.

Kelly rolled her eyes, crossing her arms, "Sure you do, Star. That's why you order him around like he's your pet. That's why you made him watch you make out with Tom. That's why you weren't so thrilled when he came back to Mewni after he broke up with his girlfriend, dropped out of school, and gave up his entire life on Earth just to make your sorry butt happy. No wonder Marco's been avoiding you."

Star's face contorted into one of confusion. "How do you know-"

"He told me everything," Kelly said, gritting her teeth, "I don't understand how you can claim to be his best friend, when all of your 'efforts' to bring you two together are just pushing you further apart."

The angered princess lunged at Kelly, but Pony Head grabbed her light blue dress with her teeth, and commented in an attempt to fizzle out the situation. "Gurls! Can y'all just chill out a minute? Y'all are fighting over an earth turd!"

"Shush," Janna said, "this is quality entertainment."

"I AM a good friend, Kelly," Star spat, "I was always there for Marco! I destroyed my wand for him and helped him get with Jackie even though it hurt so badly... I've known Marco way longer than you have, so don't butt into our friendship like you know him because of your jealousy!"

Kelly was livid, and lunged at the princess with her fists balled up, and got right into her face. "Good friend, huh?! Then where were you during the Soulrise, huh?! Marco was going through something painful, and you weren't there for him! But when your jealous butt was upset, he dropped everything to make sure you were okay! I may have not have known him as long as you, but I know when something doesn't smell right between you two!"  
Star pulled out her wand, and clenched it in her hand tightly as it started to illuminate with red magic. She growled, shutting her eyes as her anger started to flicker, and morph into sadness. "Who do you think you are, accusing me of being a bad friend? You think you can just ride into our friendship and learn everything so quickly. You have no idea what it's like to care for someone who doesn't feel the same way about you! You have no idea what it's like to fall for a guy you have no chance with! And you have no idea what it's like..." She paused, tears running down her face as her voice begun to break down in squeaks and sobs, "...to want your feelings for someone...to go away, but no matter how hard you try, they'll be there forever..." The princess lowered her head, as tears rolled down her cheeks, splattering the ground.

The green haired girl just rolled her eyes. "Ugh, whatever Star. If you were really a good friend, you would have noticed how Marco felt before, and would have done something about it. You don't deserve him." Kelly pulled out her dimensional scissors, slicing open a portal and jumping through. The princess felt something snap inside of her, and the three remaining friends looked at her in concern.

"Daaaaang," Pony Head said, breaking the silence, "that was like, crazy. Kelly has it baaaaad for Earth Turd, what do ya think B-fly?"

"I think we should bounce," Janna said, stuffing the last of her popcorn into her mouth, "Star's got a lot on her mind."

"I'm sad because Star is sad," Starfan13 said, "and angry at Kelly!"

"Girls, I think you should go," Star sniffled, "I... need some time alone..."

"We understand gurl," Pony Head gave Star a quick nuzzle before floating to the door, leading Janna and Starfan out, "Just give us a holler if you need anything else." The door softly shut, and that's when Star unleashed her inner emotions.

The princess ran over and ripped her curtains off of her windows, went to her bed, and threw the pillows on the ground, shattered her ships-in-a-bottle, nearly forming cuts on the palms of her hands. She was livid, more than livid. What was going on between Marco and Kelly? Whatever it was, she felt like it lowered her chances of being with Marco. Her judgements were correct, she didn't stand a chance.

During her rampage, a picture of her and Marco eddied to the ground. It was them during their "BEACH DAY" adventure. Star scooped the picture up in her hand, and whimpered as more tears fell out of her eyes, dropping onto the picture. She felt completely hopeless. She dropped the picture and fell into a heap on the floor, sobbing into her lap.

"My dear, whatever is the matter," a voice said, causing Star to look up.


	9. Grandmotherly Advice

Star looked up from her spot on the ground to see a figure looming over her. She was dressed in a maroon dress, and her figure was obvious from it, but it wasn't really form-fitting. Her hair flows freely, and the dark eyeshadow contrasted with the whites of her eyes as she looked down at Star.

"Eclipsa?... What are you doing here?"

"Oh , darling," Eclipsa replied, "you should know by now. I heard your cries and thought I should come and check on you. Now, tell your ancestor whatever is the matter?"

Star looks at her for a split second, having second thoughts. She knew Eclipsa wasn't evil, or at least a large portion of her didn't believe that she was, but still, in her mind, it was weird how she came whenever she as in trouble. Perhaps Eclipsa was just a helpful person, or had joy in helping her great great great granddaughter. She stood up, and Eclipsa brought a gloved hand to her back, rubbing it gently, causing a smile from the princess.

"How about I make you a cup of tea while we chat?"

"That would be nice. Thanks, Eclipsa." Star's smile widened, and the queen of darkness led her out of her room.

"Your ships are all over the floor, darling. Nothing a little magic can't fix. Don't worry your pretty little hair, I know a spell that can clean it instantaneously."

Eclispa began to lead the hopeless Star to the castle gardens in a sea of roses, to her favorite spot in the whole castle. She liked it there because it allowed her to think, and she believed Star would like it too. She was aware of the apparent similarities between her and the young princess.

* * *

The two were hitting it off. Star told Eclipsa about the situation, in which the former queen listened intently, nodding her head in interest as Star explained. She took a sip of her tea as Star ended her explanation with coming clean about her crush on Marco.

"So, you're telling me that this Marco boy is causing you grief all for you have a crush on him?"

"Well, that's just the start of it," Star corrected her ancestor, taking a sip of her piping hot drink. "Things have been awkward between us ever since he has gotten back. I don't want this silly crush I have to ruin our friendship forever."

Eclipsa waves her hand, chuckling lightly at Star's remark. "Oh Star, dear. Having a crush is not silly, it's a natural part of life. Embrace it."

Star kept her eyes on Eclipsa's lips as those words emitted from her mouth. _Embrace? What could she possibly mean by that_ , the princess thought to herself. In her mind, embrace equates to being reckless, and with the looming responsibility of being queen soon, the thought of embracing something of such magnitude scared her.

"On my best friend though," the princess replied with slight confusion, "it seems unnatural. I mean, for so long, I've just seen Marco as JUST a friend. It seems so weird having these feelings for him."

Eclispa's smile only brightened. "That is the same thing I have said when I first laid eyes upon my husband, but we've been happily married for so long and I would say I was the happiest queen in the land when I was with him."

"That's... kind of how I feel about Marco." Star scratched her chin slightly as she drew connections between Eclipsa's Monster love and Marco Ubaldo Diaz. Despite being two completely different species, the similarities were wholly apparent.

"He died of old age long ago, I miss him very much to this very day." The queen of darkness paused mid thought, hesitating to talk about the last of her thoughts. "I am not substantially proud of the stuff we have done, but I would not trade it for anything of the such."

They did... sinful things. Things that would cause grave consequences if the secrets were out. Star blinked, her mind wandering back to the Monster Bash, where a whole arson of secrets were suddenly revealed. The room, the nursery. The dolls, Eclipsa's daughter. What was her name? It was right on the tip of her tongue. Miss Heinous... meter... Meteora. "Like... Like..."

"Like, what?" Eclipsa raised an eyebrow, her friendly expression not faltering at all.

"Nothing, Eclipsa... Just thinking..." Star lowered her head. She thought it wasn't the best time to bring up such things, as Eclispa was trying to help her, and it would be rude to just confront her with these things at this time.

"Are you certain it was nothing dear?"

"Yeah, uh... my mind was wandering." The blonde took a sip of her tea once more.

Eclispa continued to deliver her motherly advice. "Well, my dear, what I am trying to say is that you should not hide what you feel. Embrace it and own it! Why hide what you feel out of fear? Do not let fear grab the reins and hold you back, you must learn to overcome it if you ever want to experience inner peace."

Star gulped, swallowing audibly. The words "embrace it" were popping up in their conversation once again, and it made her grow more uncomfortable. "I get what you're saying, Eclipsa. I need to get over this fear of losing Marco, but I just can't seem to get myself over the hurdle of just coming clean about what I feel about him."

"Well, Star Butterfly, as I've always said, you just have to just. Do it." The dark queen winked, a smirk flashing on her lips. It was as if her eyes lit up. She then pulled Star closer to her, making sure that nobody was around, then whispered. "Say, if you are still feeling a little uncertain, perhaps I could be of service~?"

"What do you mean?" Star cocked her head to the side.

"Perhaps I could teach you a highly useful spell, to boost your confidence at your confession."

Useful spell. Star's mind began to race. She knew what was coming, considering what her mother had told her what had happened between them years ago.

"Wha?... Uh, I'm not sure that's a good idea and all. I mean, you're pretty chill, but I don't think teaching me a spell will help any." Star chuckled, trying to downplay the situation, but Eclispa kept her stern, sincere look.

"Child, all I ask in return is a simple favor. Nothing big."

"...What is it?"

The dark queen exhaled, then began to propose her ransom. "All I ask is that you defend me at my hearing. You and I both know that I am innocent. All my life I have been accused of evil-doing when I have never done such things. It is an easy task for you, Star Butterfly. You are quite good at convincing the general public. I heard all about your little monster shindig."

"Well, about that..." Star clenched her teeth, trying to dodge the conversation. A topic popped into her mind, and she began to attempt to steer the conversation in another direction. "It was a total disaster. The magic high commission came and shut it down. I was so close to finally bringing peace between Mewmans and monsters, but it still seems a lot of convincing needs to be done. Mewmans still think all monsters are bad, when there's monsters like your husband and Tom."

"Well, if you actually could get a large portion of Mewmans and monsters in the same room together, I think you have done a pretty splendid job." Eclispa smirked, causing Star to giggle, and for her to laugh with her.

Eclipsa brought up her proposition once again, causing the princess' heart to jump again. "So, do you take my offer?"

Oh, forget it, Star thought.

"Yeah, of course! I mean, you're misunderstood like I was, and you weren't able to live your life like any queen of Mewni should! I mean, I was sent to earth against my own will (and developed a crush on my 'tour guide' that I can't seem to shake)," the princess muttered under her breath, "and you were encased in crystal against your will. Of course I will help you get the freedom that you were robbed of many years ago. I don't know why my mom and the magic high commission insist you're evil without getting to know you first."

"Sounds delightful! Now, about that spell." She ungloved her hand, revealing the purplish veins that lined up and down the length of her arms. Star stared in awe, as she never saw that before. She only heard about it from her mother's folklore. Determined, the blonde princess then she pulled her wand out and held it out to the queen. Eclipsa leaned in close and put a purplish-black finger to her paled lips before talking quietly.

"You mustn't tell any mewman, dark magic is highly forbidden in Mewni as of now."

"I won't, I swear."

"Deal?" She offered her hand to Star, and she looked at it in shock, remembering the deal that her mother made with this woman. Trying to give Eclipsa the benefit of the doubt, she obliged. She shut her eyes and exhaled, taking the queen's hand. Her hand began to be engulfed in a dark ribbon. Their cheek emblems lit up in unison, and Star became scared, noticing that her cheek marks were glowing a light blush pink, and becoming warm in temperature.

"Uhhh, what is happening? Eclipsa?"

"A pact between two Butterflies is quite strong, my dear," Eclipsa replied calmly, shutting her eyes as the pact took place.

The warmth from Star's cheeks vanished almost as fast as it came up, and her hearts stopped glowing. The girl brought a hand up to her cheek to be certain that it had stopped. Her cheeks felt warm, but not blazing hot as they felt before. Star looked at her ancestor, who had a warm smile on her face. "It's over now, Dear.

Star looked down at her hand, and saw that nothing has really changed. No purple veins were lining her arms as what happened with her mother. She began to have second thoughts about her story. "Woah..."

"Now, the spell." Eclipsa began to whisper the words to Star:

 _I call upon the earth and time_  
 _To bring it's mighty wrath, to erase his mind_  
 _Such events were meant to stay unsee_ n  
 _So please do the honor of wiping his mind clean  
Seconds before such events had occurred_  
 _As if they never happened_  
 _As if it was blurred._

"Or "Mind Erase, pew pew" for short. Remember to only initiate it if you feel uncertain,"  
Eclipsa warned, "It is quite a powerful spell, my dear. I unleashed it upon people, and their memory was never the same."

"I got it."

"Good, now we shall talk later. Look, what is that awful sight behind you?!" She pointed, causing Star to turn around. Star gasped and turned her head, only to see a butterfly fluttering behind her.

"Where?" Eclipsa giggled as Star turned around. "What just happened?"

"Gotcha." Eclipsa winked, and they both laugh.

* * *

Marco hummed to himself as he made his way down the spiral staircase. He was in the middle of his squire duties, and while Star supposedly had a surprise meeting with her friends, he thought he would check off some things on his checklist. One of which was going down and getting her laundry and bringing it up to her. He was still apprehensive about going down to the wash after almost being killed, but the thought of Star being proud of him trumped that every time.

"Oh, hey Lavabo," the squire said happily, "I just came to get some of Star's laundry for her to bring back up. She would like her green octopus dress. Is it clean?"

"Oh, why isn't it Marco," Lavabo, the honorable knight of the wash said in a happy tone, running over to give him a bone-crushing hug. "So, you're the one that the princess has the blood lust for?"

Marco tried to regain his composure, dusting himself off and fixing his hair. "Me? No no no, that would be her boyfriend Tom."

"I remember the hoodie that is red." The knight pinched the sleeve, narrowing his focus to reassure himself that his judgments were correct.

"Oh. Well, Star gave him one of mine. Then he ripped the sleeves of it." He grumbled to himself, remembering the day the four of them went to Lava Lake.

"No, this hoodie had sleeves and looked exactly like the one you wear now," the knight said, rubbing his chin, "I remember it was difficult to wash, as the princess did not want to lose the smell."

"Wait, what?" Was Marco hearing that correctly? Lose the smell? He sometimes sniffed one particular hoodie to remind himself of Star when she wasn't around, but Star actually keeping one of his hoodies to sniff? It seemed a little far fetched.

"In fact, the one you wear right now looked to be the exact one."

"Uh, even if what you're saying is true, there's no way you could know which hoodie it was. I have like a dozen of the same red hoodie." Marco crossed his arms.

"Trust me, young squire. I have worked in the wash for ages, and I would never forget such an important garment."

"But it can't be this one. Why would Star want this one washed? This hoodie smells like her," He took a sniff, only to take in the smell of his sweaty armpits. "Ew... well, it did."

Lavabo chuckled to himself. He knew exactly why Star wanted that hoodie to smell like her, and he remembered every garment he ever washed, and from the looks of it, that was the exact hoodie that he packaged to be shipped back to Earth.

"I suppose your BO covered up the scent, yes? Would you like for me to wash it for you?"

"Hey, back off," Marco put his hands up in defense, in his signature 'sword hand' stance. "Remember you tried to kill me by leaving me alone with that lint monster, so I don't know if I can trust you."

"You most certainly can, I am an expert at this. It is my royal duty to the Butterfly family that all laundry in the castle must be sparkly clean." The Knight of the Wash took out his staff and snags the hoodie with it, causing an outburst from Marco.

"Hey! What are you... My hoodie!" He reached out to grab it, but he was too late, the hoodie was already being cycled in the washing machine. "What have you done? Now I have nothing of Star left... She's... She's..."

"Relax, young Marco. I do know what I am doing. They don't call me expert Knight of the Wash for nothing." He gave a reassuring wink. "You have the princess, you are her noble squire, am I wrong?"

"Well, yeah... but I am her best friend too, or at least, I thought we were." Marco hung his head low, sighing softly under his breath. "We never hang out really as friends anymore. She's either busy with Tom, or working on her duties as a princess. You're telling me that she has one of my hoodies? And was sniffing it? Well, if that's true, then it's ripped up and used by her boyfriend now."

"Ah, so you have felt as if you lost a friend in the princess, yes?"

"Yeah.." Marco looked down again, feeling his heart sink.

"I can assure you that you have not. Having the supposed bloodlust for another male does not mean that she has forgotten all the times she has spent with you. If I recall correctly, her songstrel had mentioned you in her Song Day, one of the most important days in a young princess' life. Not this Tom that you are referring to. If I do say so myself, that is a very important honor." He pats Marco's back, causing a smile from the boy.

Marco's eyes lit up a bit. "I guess you're right. I'll always have Star, no matter what happens. I can't imagine life without her. We have been through so much within this year of being friends. She's... everything."

Lavabo chuckled as he pulled the hoodie from the magical wash and gave it to Marco, folded and wrinkle-free. "Take a sniff."

The squire smiled down at the clean hoodie. It seemed brighter than before. It was practically sparkling. With one quick motion, he leaned down and took a generous sniff.

"Hey, it does smell like Star! In fact, it smells even stronger!" Ecstatic, Marco held the hoodie to his chest, hugging it tightly, then he eagerly threw it on and zipped it up.

"I put it on an ultra-fast rinse and dry cycle just for you. I don't even do this for the royal family. Think of it as compensation for putting you with the ferocious beast." He winked.

"Thanks Lavabo, you're pretty cool."

"No problem, now, let me get the princess' clean laundry for you. Keep this as a secret between you and I." The knight put his finger to his lip, then went into the back to go get Star's clean laundry.

"You got it." An obvious blush was growing on the boy's face. The thought of Star actually sniffing his hoodie gave him hope that maybe, just maybe, she liked him too. Or perhaps she just missed him a lot during his absence. He didn't know, but the thought made him warm inside.

"It that a blush on your face? I would guess you have a crush on the princess as well, no," a voice said. Marco looked up to see Lavabo staring down at him, Star's clean dresses in his hands.

"Uhhh I really have to go Lavabo... Star is expecting this dress soon!" Marco quickly grabbed the garments and bolted out of the laundry room.

Lavabo smiled to himself. "Ah, it is certain he has the bloodlust for the princess."

* * *

"Marco? Can you come here a sec," a female voice rang, causing the squire to quicken his pace. He reached the doorway to the princess's room, the neatly-folded octopus dress in his grasp.

"I'm here, Star. I have your laundry for you." He panted, handing the queen laundry to her, causing a genuine smile to appear on her face.

"Thanks Marco, but forget about the laundry for a second. I have another task for you today," Star said with a smile.

"Uh, what is it?"

"I... I... I'm going to teach you how to use my wand."


	10. Magical Education

"Star, What are you... AHH!" An eager Star Butterfly pulled her best friend into her room, slamming the door behind her. Marco, dazed by the sudden actions, continued his apparent protest. "Whoa, what do you mean use your wand? I'm not a Butterfly, I have no idea how any of this magic works. I'm good at karate, and fighting thousands of Hekapoos for sixteen years straight, not casting spells!"

"Marco, I know you can use my wand, I saw you do it with my own eyes," the blonde said frantically. "Remember when I was summoned to that weird place, and you saved me? I could have sworn you used my wand to do that, haven't you?"

"Wellllll... yeah, I mean... it's not a big deal, Star. I am expected to protect you. It's my duty as a squire, after all." the boy waved his hand nonchalantly as he began to walk away, only to be grabbed again by the hyperactive princess and shaken to dizziness.

"Marco, this is a GIANT deal! Y-you used magic! You're not a Butterfly! How exactly is this possible? It's only been thought that Butterflys, Mewmans can unlock the special properties of magic, but you, Marco Diaz, are from Earth! How does this work?"

"... I think you are thinking way too deeply about this."

"I know something is up, Marco. I saw it," Star trailed off as she walked over to her nightstand where her wand lay. She gently picked it up, eyeing the star-shaped crystal closely. "I know what I saw. I may have been a little foggy by all of the magic mumbo jumbo that was tampering with my memory, but I know what I saw." Brushing the bell of the wand with her hand, she held the wand out to the confused boy. "Take the wand."

"What?! Star, it's not a bi-"

"Take it," Star snapped.

"Ugh...fine..." Marco, letting out a reluctant groan, took the wand from the princess' grasp, looking down at it. Time slowly ticked by, and Star peeked over his shoulder, waiting for something to occur. Nothing. A few more seconds had passed. Still nothing. Star was growing impatient.

"It's not... changing." She poked it with her finger. "Come on, wand. Do something!" Pokes became frustrated shakes.

"I told you Star. I can't use your wand. Maybe it was a one-time coincidence or something." He began to walk away, only to be stopped by the ring of Star's disappointment.

"Marco, I know you can. I know what I saw."

"No... I really can't. I dont have magic like you or fire powers or anything. I'm just some regular boy from Earth. All I'll ever be is your squire," the boy said with a shrug.

Star felt her gut drop at that statement. Marco meant so much to her, and she knew dang well that he was so much more. "Marco, that isn't true... You're so much more than that to me!"

An exhale escaped his lips as he sulked and started to walk away once again. He tried to push the wand back to Star, who wasn't going to let her best friend go without a fight. "I'm sorry, Star."

Star gently touched his shoulder, her fingers curling on the fabric of his hoodie. "Marco, wait..."

".. Woah ho-ho hahhh! Staaaar!"

"Marco!"

All of a sudden, Marco was propelled in the air by the wand as it started to change. His body was lifted high into the air as he began to spin more rapidly. Faster and faster; blue and pinkish magic began to firework in the room.

Star's eyes lit up into literal stars as her eyes watch the magnificent scene. "Woah..."

Marco's spinning form is lowered to the ground gently as he stopped spinning gradually with the newly formed wand. The body of the wand is a lightish green, with a magenta crystal at its center. The wings of the wand were a darkish purple, and a sharp crystal stood at attention at the top. Marco stared wide-eyed at his wand, his hair disheveled on his head from the inertia of rapid spinning.

"I...uhhh..."

"See?" I told you you could do it," the princess exclaimed, squealing as she jumped up and down.

"Yeah, I guess?" The boy gave a nervous shrug. He knew what was coming, and he didn't know if he was mentally prepared.

"Alright, let's try a spell." Star thought for a minute, tapping her chin. I knew it, Marco mentally groaned to himself.

"Uh, I got nothing. Let me go grab an apple real quick. I'm hungry." Star began to walk to the door, only to be stopped by her best friend.

"No need." Marco fiddled in his pocket and pulled out a juicy red apple. He then tossed it to her, and she caught it in both hands. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

"Thanks!" Star opened her mouth to take a bite, but pauses as she saw her reflection in the surface staring back at her, causing a light bulb to 'ding' in her head. "Oh, Marco! You're a genius!" She ran over and sat the apple on the table, then ran over beside Marco. She then pointed to the apple sitting pretty on the table across from them. "Bring me that apple."

"But... I just gave you that apple." He started to walk over to retrieve it, but Star tugged on the back of his hoodie.

"No no no, silly. With magic."

"Isn't that a little unsafe," the latino inquired with a slight head-tilt.

"It's perfectly fine, Marco, now make with the magic," Star exclaimed.

"Alright alright alright...uhh..." Marco pointed the wand in front of him, feeling the sweat bead on his forehead. Star was there, watching his every move, and it gave him major anxiety. WIth a deep breath, he mustered up the strength to give her request a try. "Apple come hereth." Nothing happened.

Star facepalmed. "No no no... Levitato."

"...Levi...tatoe?"

"No... Levitato," she groaned.

"Ahh... right right right. I got this uhhh..." the boy prepared himself once again, planting his feet firmly on the ground. . "Levitato!" Nothing happened.

He tried again and again, to no avail. Minutes pasted by and the spell hadn't been completed. By the time that passed, he was all sweaty and exhausted from all the effort he was putting into casting the spell.

"No no, you have to aim higher, Marco. Aim higher," Star called out as the boy failed to complete the spell once again. He tried again and again, but no matter what he did, he could not make the apple leave its spot on the table. "...Marco, you're being unrefined. You have to say it with conviction," Star said, as the boy failed once more. "This is only the basics. We haven't gotten to anything difficult yet." Star was confused by how the safe kid, the perfectionist, could have such a difficult time with the simplest of spells, especially when he casted one of the most difficult with ease not so long ago.

"You know what? Forget it," Marco exclaimed in frustration. Marco tossed the wand back to Star, which quickly morphed back into its familiar purple state. He quickly stamped over to Star's bed, plopping down and burying his head into his hand.

Star was surprised by Marco's sudden outburst. She knew that he was upset that he couldn't levitate the apple,but she sensed there was something else bothering him. "What's the matter, Marco," she inquired as she walked over to him.

"I can't even do a basic spell..." the latino boy grumbled as he rested his hands on his knees and his chin on his hands.

"Come on, let me help you," she coaxed as she sat down next to him.

"I don't think there is anything you can do, Star."

"Please, let me help you, Marco." Star begged, "You're my best friend. I can't stand to see you like this."

"It's not the spell... It's just that... that I feel like I can't do anything right anymore. It's as if I don't know who I am now." Marco averted his attention to the floor, away from the princess.

"What are you talking about?," she asked, surprised by the boy's declaration.

"I just feel like I'm doing everything wrong and hurting those close to me... Especially... you, Star," he began. "I haven't been here enough for you recently. You gave me the honor of being your squire, only to have me run off. Then, to make it ten times worse, I blamed you for all of my issues instead of realizing that I was the problem. Now, I can't even do simple magic. Star, how can I be your squire, let alone your best friend, if I can't even do what's best for you?"

"...How could you say that?!" Star replied as she wrapped her arms around him tightly, pulling him into a hug. "You're going to be my best friend always! You've always been there for me, and most of the time I don't ask for it! Besides, the conflicts in our friendship aren't all your fault. They're mine, too. I haven't treated you like a best friend should be treated, and I haven't been there for you like you have for me. The fact of the matter is, Marco... is that I'm proud to call you my noble squire... and most importantly, my best friend."

"Thanks, Star," Marco said as he hugged her back with a half smile.

Don't worry about it, Marco."

"I just feel bad," the boy interjected,"I mean, I never even congratulated you on getting back together with Tom. I'm happy for the both of you."

"Oh..." Star trailed at the end of their embrace. Those thoughts were coming up again; she was lying to the person she trusted the most, and it was killing her inside. However, she wasn't ready to spill the beans, not yet at least, despite literally knowing a spell that could wipe both of their memories clean.

Is everything alright?" He noticed her disappointed look. She looked up and flashed him a smile.

:"Yeah, everything is fine, Marco... So uh, do you want to give the spell another go?"

"Why not," Marco shrugged as he grasped the wand again, feeling the weight being lifted off of his shoulders as he stood up again. "So, enunciate more and aim higher?"

"It's more than just that. You have to concentrate and not let yourself get distracted. If your mind isn't focused on the task at hand, or you get distracted, then the spell will fail," Star began, placing a hand on her chest.

"Soooo... concentrate and focus on what I think. Got it."

"And focus on what you feel."

"What I feel?"

"If you don't control your emotions, you won't be able to control your spells. You have to accept how you feel inside instead of hiding it or running away from it. Otherwise, the results could end in catastrophe."

"Ohhh..." Marco suddenly felt the nervousness wash over him once again.

"But don't worry, Marco. I know you can do it. I'll help you this time" she said reassuringly, giving him a hopeful grin, "so there's no reason to worry."

"Okay, Star," responded the boy, as he turned to face the apple once again. He trusted the princess, but his emotions had been a mess recently, and he wasn't even sure he knew how he felt. The boy started to get even more apprehensive as he lifted the wand to his chest. What if something went wrong? Or worse, what if he hurt Star? A sudden chill ran down his spine as he felt the warm touch of Star's hand over his. Her small, dainty hand touched gently. He had held her hand before, but this time, it felt pleasantly different. He couldn't explain how he felt, but he felt his heart burst with joy knowing that she was there by his side.

"Are you ready," Star asked, interrupting his train of thoughts.

Marco looked down at Star's hand on his for a split second as a determined smirk appeared on his face. "Ready."  
He and his best friend guided the every motion of the spell. Together, they executed the spell until the apple landed perfectly intact in the girl's palm.

"You did it Marco! I know you could do it," Star cried in pure happiness as she hugged him, and Marco happily hugged back, triumphant that he actually managed to cast the spell.

As the princess pulled away from their embrace, she noticed something different about Marco's facial structure. Time seemed to slow down as she carefully examined his face with her blue eyes. Two deep brown eyes, a mole dappling the side of his cheeks and... two yellow moons ablazed on his cheeks? She didn't believe it at first, but the longer she stared, the more real she realized they were, and they glowed faintly.

"No, we did it... Together. You okay, Star?"

"Uhh, yeah Marco. I'm fine. I think that's enough magic for today. You go rest up, we can practice some more tomorrow," she was still shocked at what she saw on her friend, but she tried to play it off as nothing.

"Alright, don't worry, I promise to do it without your help next time," Marco said as he walked to the door. Star walked with him. Even though he was her best friend, she needed some time alone to process this newly-observed information.

"Totally totally totally."

She gently shut the door behind him and her mind began to race. Marco... cheek marks? It didn't all add up. He wasn't a Butterfly, and as far as she knew, only Butterfly wielded the emblems.

Suddenly, Star felt her face grow warmer... and her peripheral vision noticed a soft pink emanating from her cheeks. Bringing a hand up to gently stroke her cheek, she quickly raced over to her mirror, in aew at her reflection.

Her cheeks were radiating a brilliant rosy glow.


	11. On Trial

_"All I ask is that you defend me at my hearing. You and I both know that I am innocent. All my life I have been accused of evil doing when I have never done such things. It is an easy task for you, Star Butterfly..."_

* * *

Star ran aimlessly. She didn't know where to, all that she knew was that she had to get far away from that place. Her mind was clouded with the events that happened recently. They attacked her from the inside out, and made her heart fill with guilt. The needle was placed on the mental record that she had formed in her mind, and it played again and again on repeat.

 _"You had lied to our family for generations!"_

 _"...So you're not my great-great-great-great-great grandma."_

 _"No, sweetie. I'm not."_

 _"So that means... We're no more royal than anybody else!"_

 _"You're still a princess, Star."_

 _"No, Mom. We're nobody!"_

She squeezed her eyes shut and wrapped her arms around herself, letting out a small sob. It was overwhelming for her to think about; The magic high commision had tampered with her entire lineage, and altered it in a dishonest, sinister way. Her mother was the descendant of a peasant, not the true heir and truthfully, she was not supposed to be the queen. Star wasn't a true princess, and not a Butterfly to begin with. For fifteen years, she was lied to, and she felt as if her entire life up to this point was a lie. It was agonizing for her to think about.

Star rammed the door open with her shoulder, and ran inside, her boots tapping against the marble floor. The ruckus was enough to catch the attention of the guards, but she quickly shot past them so they wouldn't catch her tears. She wasn't fast enough to sneak by River, who was in the royal kitchen with the leg of some sort of pheasant in his mouth.

"What's the matter, dear?" River said, his mouth full of poultry as Star came closer into view.

"Just my entire life," she snapped as she hopped up the steps. Her head did not peek up once as she spoke to her father.

The king shrugged, and went back to rummaging in the fridge. "Teenagers."

The blonde reached her room, making the door fly open as she ran inside. She quickly slammed it shut, and her emotions quickly came after. Her sobs grew louder as tears trickled down her cheeks and chin, blinding her line of sight. Star pressed her back to her door, too weak to even go to her bed to cry. She slid down against her door, hugging her knees as her thoughts began to consume her.

Down the rabbit hole her mind went, no end in sight. Inheriting the wand, her mom sending her to earth, attending school on Earth, meeting Marco... it was all... for nothing? She wasn't next in line for the throne, it belonged to Eclipsa and her family. They were robbed of what was rightfully theirs due to full assumptions and accusations. The thought of it made Star grow warm with anger, but it quickly fizzled out with another wave of tears. It wasn't like her to cry so much, but the revelation was far too much for her to fathom.

Star looked up for a minute, and her eyes wandered to the wand in her hand. It was lilac in coloration, a star-shaped crystal in the center complete with butterfly wings. Why did it look like her? It wasn't hers. It was Eclipsa's. She was nobody.

A sudden burst of fury caused the girl to clench the wand tightly, and throw it across the room. It hit the wall with a 'clank', ricocheted and rolled on the floor. She flinched as she watched it fall face-up a good distance away from her. Soon after, she started to regret doing that, and hope she didn't break it before returning it back to Eclipsa at one point. She wasn't sure when, but down the line she would when the time was right. It wasn't her wand... it was Eclipsa's. She taught Marco how to use it for nothing. Another pointless act, and the more worthless she felt.

Eclipsa...Star thought about the talk that they shared in the rose garden not too long ago.

 _"Remember to only initiate it if you feel uncertain. It is quite a powerful spell, my dear."_

She blinked. She could simply erase her memory, and forget the events that happened today. She wasn't sure it would work if she used it on herself. She wasn't sure if it would work on anyone, she hadn't even thought about it since she talked to the dark queen that day in the garden. There was only one way to find out.

Star looked down at her hand, and concentrated all of her negative energy into the spell. With a slight exhale, she brought her glowing hand up to the side of her head, just as Eclipsa had taught her. She shut her eyes, her lips quivering. Was she really about to attempt this?

* * *

"Globgore!"

"Glossy, if you would just be patient, I would walk you," Marco said as he raced after the. galloping genie. He was stopped in his tracks as his ears picked up sounds coming from down the hall, down where Star's room was. He scooped Glossaryck up with one arm and walked over to the source of the sound.

"Glob-"

"Shhh!" The boy put his hand over the magical being's mouth, silencing him as he got closer. The sobbing noises only got clearer, and he instantly knew something was wrong. Marco slinked over to the door, which was the source of the sound, made obvious by the soft sobs coming from Star's room. It was Star, and was terribly wrong. It wasn't like her to cry so intensely. He had only heard her cry a handful of times, but this crying wasn't like anything he heard before.

Marco set the genie down, in which he ran down the hall with a chorus of "Globgores". He then pressed his ear against the door, and the crying was loud and clear. Hesitant, he put his fist against the door, and knocked a few times.

"Star, are you alright in there?"

"Yeah, I'm fine M-Marco..." Her voice was shaky, hesitant.

Marco was not convinced, but it wasn't in his nature force her to open up to him. He didn't want to be intrusive, even if something was really bothering her. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

She wasn't sure, and he knew it. He wanted to break down the door and hug her problems away, but as he learned before with Star, it was best to let her come to him. Anxious, Marco gently sat pretzel-legged on the ground, his back against the door just as Star was on the other side. All he wanted to do right now was to cheer her up the best way he could. It was almost like an instant, and he instinctively knew that what was bothering her was huge, and he was going to find out what that was one way or another. "... Star, I know you're not fine. Come on, what's bothering you?"

"It's nothing, Marco. I'm serious."

Marco sighed, pausing before he spoke again. "...I can hear you in there. I just want to make sure you're alright."

"I'm fine Marco! Stop asking if I'm alright, because I am," The girl snapped from the other side. He could tell she was getting annoyed, but he wasn't giving up that easily. He was her squire, and he had to make sure she was comfortable at all costs.

"I'm your squire, and it's my royal duty to-"

"YOU ARE NOT MY SQUIRE!"

Marco felt his heart jump out of his chest. Did suddenly hate him again? It couldn't be, as they just had some bonding time a few days ago. Star taught him how to use her wand, which is something he never dreamed of doing. She couldn't still be mad at him, unless something swayed her judgement between now and then. He winced at the tone of her voice, but he tried to speak to her in a calm manner. "W-what do you mean?"

"...I don't deserve a squire. I don't even deserve to know you, let alone have you as a friend."

It was almost like slow motion, and the boy had to double check to make sure he was hearing things correctly. What was Star on about, he thought to himself, why was she saying these things? He swallowed before speaking again, his eyes wandering to the direction of her voice. "Star, what are you talking about? Let me in, you are definitely not okay."

Her voice quivered. "D-don't you get it, Marco? I'm nobody."

She was still beating herself up, and Marco sighed to himself. He had to get her to crack somehow. "Nobody?... Was it that bad? I don't know what exactly happened but... Star, this isn't like you."

"It was... Life-changing actually."

Life-changing? His eyes widened, and he pressed his ear against the door, waiting patiently for her reply. It was a good forty-five seconds before he heard any sort of sound come from inside the room. A sniffle, then a whimper, then, Star spoke.

"...I'm not a princess, Marco. I'm not even SUPPOSED to be royalty. My family isn't supposed to be in power. Eclipsa is... Me? My mom? We're the descendants of some peasant girl."

"Star, what?"

"I can't tell you... you'd never see me the same way..."

Marco pressed his ear against the door, waiting for Star to speak again, but there was nothing. Seconds tickled by and all he could hear were distant echoes down the castle halls, and Glossaryck's "Globgores". He wanted to break the awkwardness, anything to help her open up, but he was lost for words.

Meanwhile, Star sat with her back against the door, silently crying as tears trickled down her trial and the truth were weighing heavily on her mind, but should she come clean and tell him the truth? He was her best friend after all, and he was the person she trusted most in her life. Her emotions were running wild and constantly contradicting one another She was terrified of telling Marco the truth, but at the same time, she wanted to blurt it out to him. In between tears, the 'princess' peered down at the floor and noticed something that made her feel better. Coming from underneath the doorway was Marco's shadow. A small smile appeared on her face as she took a deep breath and started to come clean about the events that occurred today.

Star was still unsure of herself and didn't know exactly what to say, but she finally gave in and started to tell Marco the details of what had taken place. "It started out as any normal trial would start out, I guess," the girl started to say. Her voice cracking as she went, and tears still trickling down her cheeks. "Opening statements were made and the rules were explained, before everything got under way. You want to know something funny? Eclipsa requested a trial by box. That old truth box we played with at my sleepover." Star left out a soft giggle as the humor made her forget about her troubles for a second. On the other side of the door, the princess could hear Marco's breathing intensify with the mention of the box. "Anyways," Star continued, "Things seemed normal enough. I thought they were actually going somewhat well. The commission was asking questions and Eclipsa was handling them really well, but they didn't want to listen, especially that Hekapoo chick." Star gave Marco a stern look, even though he couldn't see her, as she thought about Hekapoo and all the times she had tried to steal the boy from Star. "It seemed like no matter what Eclipsa said, they refused to listen to a word of it. I was afraid all hope might be lost, and then it came time for me to defend Eclipsa."

"Wait you defended Eclipsa?" Marco interrupted as he got a confused look on his face. "Star what were you thinking? You can't trust that old queen!"

"I knew what I was doing," Star shot back. "Eclipsa just fell in love with a monster and followed her heart. Is it really that bad for a girl to follow her heart even if she doesn't pick the person that's expected for her to pick?" Star stopped for a moment, as her own words hit her and sunk in. It was expected that she would end up with someone like Tom, a prince. That's what her head kept telling her, and yet her heart would never give in to that idea. Her heart always seemed to ache for Marco, even when he wasn't around. No matter where that safe kid was, and even when she dated Tom, her heart still wanted Marco beside her. The girl couldn't explain it, but she always felt like a piece of her was missing was the boy wasn't around, and that there was a hole inside her that apparently only he seemed to be able to fill. Her thoughts and emotions were conflicted, as her head and heart disagreed, but Star decided to continue with the story instead of focusing on how she felt. "I did my best to defend Eclipsa, and I think I actually think I did pretty good if I do say so myself," she added with a slight grin as tears still trickled down. "None of it mattered, after my speech they still deemed her evil and wouldn't listen to me at all. Eclipsa thanked me, even though I failed, and then she requested to ask them a question. Apparently since she's a former queen she still has a seat on the commission and gets a question. Well she asked about the truth and her daughter, but the commission said nothing. Then everything went crazy and we all got sucked inside the box, I still hate that place. The walls just kept closing in on us, and I was afraid we were all going to die as Eclipsa and Hekapoo just argued. Then suddenly Rhombulus shouted the truth. Apparently when they crystallized Eclipsa, they gave her daughter away and put some peasant girl on the throne..."

"Do you know what that means Marco?" Star said, as her tone got higher, but her voice got shakier. "I'm just a peasant. I'm not royalty, or even a true Butterfly. I'm just some peasant girl that doesn't deserve anything she's been given."

"Star that's not true," Marco tried to say reassuringly, as he too was surprised by the truth.

"Yes it is!" the princess yelled at him through the door. "I'm nobody! I don't deserve to live in this castle, I don't deserve the wand, I don't even deserve you as my squire let alone my best friend. Now just get out of here and find someone who deserves you, because I'm just a nobody," Star stated as she buried her head in her knees, her deepest thoughts governing her words.

It was silent again, and it felt as if frost was beginning to creep up the walls. That was until the safe kid spoke once again. "Star, I'm not friends with you because you're a princess. I'm friends with you because you're you, and that won't ever change, princess or not."

Her mind blacked out as she brought her attention to her best friend on the other side, how she wanted to tell him to shut up, to stop lying to make her feel better, but she decided to listen. After all, they have been through so much together, and she had known him long enough to know that most of what he said was honest. "... I just blacked out. You're not just saying that, are you?"

"Star, do you really think some fancy title is what makes you? You're not just a princess, you're... you. When you came into my life, you gave it so much excitement and danger I never know I would crave so much. When we first fought Ludo's monsters, you always had my back, and when Toffee kidnapped me, you literally gave up you wand just to save me. We hadn't even known each other for a year, and for you to do that? Wow. I know I never brought this up, but ever since then I've been trying to make it up to you ever since. I know nothing I will ever do will equal that, but I won't ever stop trying. You acted like it was a big deal for me to come back when you faced Toffee, but the truth is... I've just been trying to pay you back for all you have given me. Star, because of you I live in another dimension, I've fought monsters and the forces of evil, ridden dragon cycles, started revolutions, and so much more. And Star, I know I don't say this enough... But I am a better person because of you," the boy said as he got to his feet. He wore a smile on his face as he stood with his forehead against the door, hoping that his words helped her any. "You are still Star Butterfly, and you don't need some fancy title to tell me that because I've seen it with my own eyes and don't regret it. You are my mess up twin, my partner in crime, my best friend, and the coolest girl I've ever met."

The boy's train of thought was interrupted when he felt the motion of the door move his body forward and the warm embrace of his friend pull him close. She hugged him tightly, and the boy couldn't help but hug her back. Star's eyes were welling with tears, but they were not tears of sadness. In fact, they were tears of happiness. In her darkest hours, the safe kid had known just the right things to say to her to life her spirits. In her opinion, Marco was magical in her own unique way. Star loosened her grip, only for the boy to tighten his and softly say, "you are somebody, Star." She rested her chin on his shoulder and smiled, letting out a deep breath as she thought about how much he meant to her. Her feelings were so strong for the boy, and she could no longer deny that it was anything but love. True love. Could she tell him the truth, though? He was accepting of one of her deepest, darkest secrets, but how would he take the fact that she was lying to his face about still dating Tom? Maybe she would come clean one day, if all else failed, she could just erase his mind with the spell that Eclipsa had taught her. Star looked at her hand as the hugged in the silence of her room.


End file.
